English indie-rock band, The Wombats have been around since the early 2000s, releasing multiple albums along the way. Their latest album sees the band building on their indie roots across twelve tracks, adding to their catalogue, full of accomplishments. However, the album is decent at best, quite unremarkable and predictable.  

The new album shows The Wombats broadening their palette, introducing a blend of funk, pop and nu disco, straying further from their classic indie sound. The album jumps in head first with the opener ‘Flip Me Upside Down’, delivering a strong bassline that immediately grabs your attention, before an onslaught of melodic lyrics, paired alongside an upbeat tempo and catchy chorus. Tracks such as ‘If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You’ offer us a throwback with memorable melodies and song writing. Their are several rhythmic shifts, dipping in and out of different styles in the track ‘Ready For The High’, showing us The Wombats experimental edge.

Whilst the album has good qualities, like lead singer Matthew Murphy’s distinct diction and vocal agility, The Wombats seem to have abandoned their indie roots in pursuit this funkier, more dancefloor dependent sound. This will no doubt attract a more mainstream audience, whilst also alienating hardcore fans who are interested in the classics. That being said, the variety of hard-hitting riffs such as on ‘Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard’ help set the tone for the album, and whilst quirky in sound, they are clearly pulling from their indie influences, with their high tempo sound and their curiously ambiguous lyrics.

Although the album is a far cry from classics such as ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’, the album shows promise and it is not surprising that the band have changed, given that they have been around for an impressive 19 years. Despite this, The Wombats have managed to maintain their image as one of the leading bands in the indie scene, whilst experimenting with new sounds. For pop lovers, this is an album that will captivate, however, for those into traditional indie, this album doesn’t live up to expectations