A little over ten years ago the word was graced with The Wombats debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation, an album full of teenage angst and rowdy English party tunes. Such as the singles that launched the band on the map, “Kill the Director” and “Let’s Dance to Joy Division.” Just last week the Liverpool natives released their highly anticipated fourth studio album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.
The first track of the record is a song they released prior to the album drop, “Cheetah Tongue.” The psychedelic track with trademark Wombats sounds set the tone for the album. From this album we also see classic anthemic Wombats dance bangers such as “Lemon to a Knife Fight but also softer tunes like “Turn.” Seeing a more vulnerable side of The Wombats has been a reoccurring theme in not only this album but also their last release, Glitterbug. Matthew Murphy, the frontman of the band has previously been very candor about Glitterbug and that album being essentially the maturing of The Wombats as we know them.
The beginning of the album is solid as ever and delivers songs with simultaneously both quintessential Wombats characteristics and also a new age sound. These tunes bang with beautiful bass melodies, a unique percussion section and mega metaphorical lyrics. If it sounds different from what you remember it’s probably because this album is largely missing the sort-of electro pop synth that influenced the past albums. Cue “Our Perfect Disease” from their sophomore album This Modern Glitch, cue “Greek Tragedy” of Glitterbug to name a couple. The absence of the electronic sound is different but not negative. Perhaps this is the new standard for The Wombats.
The middle of the 11 track album turns into a bit of a muddled area where sure, the songs are still audible but they hardly stand out. By the time the end part of the record rolls around, the tunes start peaking interest again and the sound gets more experimental. Second to “I Only Wear Black,” “Ice Cream” might be the most experimental song on the album. The heavier guitar and emphasized backbeat on “Ice Cream” make the song memorable.
The final track “I Don’t Know Why I Like You But I Do” is another gentle natured number with no shortage of metaphors and creative analogies; interestingly enough the guitars in this song are reminiscent of both surf pop in the verses and heavy rock in the solos. The use of juxtaposition in this track makes it leap out.
This album looks like The Wombats are wading into new waters and are preparing to introduce us to a new age, more mature, instrument based sound. The growth we’ve seen from A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation to now has been well engineered. Finding a balance between your sound and incorporating new artistic desires is a challenge no doubt. Having been a band since the early 2000’s, The Wombats have come a long way. With only four studio albums (and several EP’s) released, the growing and maturing process for the band must have been a challenge.
As stated earlier, Murphy has been open and candid about their decision to shift the sound of the band to a more toned down version of their best selves. Which was not only inevitable but also essential to keeping true to yourself in the moment and keeping up in this music industry as we know it. Male bands can get away with milking the same juvenile love affairs well into their 30’s even when married with children, which can’t be much fun but is also bizarre. The change that The Wombats accepted and executed so smoothly paid off in Glitterbug being their first album to chart stateside and in the hype and support surrounding Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.
The Wombats, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life rating: 7 out of 10
-Patsy Thayieng
Check out The Pop Break’s recent in-depth interview with Matthew Murphy of The Wombats to find out more about Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.
