Photo Credit: Jamie McMillan
Indie rockers The Wombats are back with their new EP Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This?. Following the release of their first ever number one album, Fix Yourself, Not The World earlier this year, this Liverpudlian band are showing us that they are still in. Rising to stardom in 2007 with the release of their debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, the band continued to succeed in the indie rock scene where others failed to do so. And they bring a bit of that 2007 spirit back on this EP, but with a larger focus on rock influences.
Opening up with I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up, the rock influence is apparent. Tord Øverland Knudsen and Dan Haggis work dynamically to use heavier sounds of the guitar riff and drums in the opening to contrast with the melodic, silky voice of Matthew Murphy. Furthermore, there is a slight irony in how happy the song sounds, yet the internal battle of the inevitable break-up is very bleak. With lines such as “I think my mind has made its mind up, I took my demons down to the water,” Murphy’s voice reinforces the story that this is indeed what is best for the person in this situation. It’s about putting themselves first instead of going with the flow.
As for Dressed To Kill, there is so much going on. The song gives off James Bond theme song energy, as Murphy’s lyrics and voice ooze suave that only 007 could give. The confidence is incredible and with the assertion that “I’m gonna be your man,” this is definitely a tune to celebrate men. Embrace looking good, feeling good and knowing you look good. It’s now in and self-confident issues are out for men.
At the end of the EP, The Wombats follow the current trend of experimenting with synth. In Good Idea at the Time, it ties together the energy and calmness of the song. They are not shy when it comes to synth, as there is at least one song on every album. However, its use on Good Idea at the Time marries the idea of the song to the composition, as the sound matches phrases such as “oh why’ve you got to analyse it?”. The synth is the sound of the person over analysing and thinking.
Recorded at the same time as Fix Yourself, Not The World, this new EP has great potential to match the success from earlier this year. The Wombats show just how cool synth can be whilst reflecting on bad decisions that they later come to regret. The 2007 British indie genre may be long gone, but The Wombats are still going strong.
9/10
For Fans Of: Circa Waves, Blossoms, Foals
Standout Tracks: Is This What it Feels Like to Feel Like This?, Dressed To Kill, I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up
Written by: Jo Lisney
