On January 7, 2022, “The Wombats”, an English indie rock band, released their fifth album to date “Fix Yourself, Not the World”. The Wombats formed in Liverpool in 2003 with many of their songs reaching the top of the charts in recent years.

Many listeners may recognize the band from their song Greek Tragedy or at least a modified version of it. Oliver Nelson‘s remix of their 2015 track Greek Tragedy has found its way onto TikTok, which has bought them to the attention of a whole new group of fans. Since its inception, the band’s line-up has consisted of Matthew Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, and Dan Haggis.

According to Dan Haggis on the album release, “We’re so excited for people to hear this new album! We’ve explored new genres and pushed ourselves further than ever musically. It will always stand out for us in our memories from our other albums as we recorded it across three cities during lockdown, and we weren’t all in the same room at the same time!”

The album is made up of twelve different songs making for an enjoyable forty minutes of music for anyone intrigued. With the creation of the songs being recorded remotely during the various quarantines that occurred worldwide. Unfortunately, the three band members were never in the same room during the creation of the album. Each day, the group members discussed their songs and places in the pieces until they would eventually record their individual piece to send to each other.

The subject matter from each song within the album differs greatly but all the songs have a positive cheerful sounding tone despite their harsh subject matter. The best example of this being “Everything I Love is Going to Die” with lyrics such as

“Everything I love is going to die

So baby, keep your big mouth shut

And stop wasting my time

Icarus was my best friend

So, I’m gonna make him proud in the end

Everything I love is going to die

Is going to die”

These lyrics are sung by the main singer with a constant stream of guitar and drum playing in the background, contrasting the lyrics hinting at a darker truth.

Numerous songs in this album follow this exact pattern . “Worry” a three minute and eleven second song, alludes to anxiety and paranoia. While the lyrics are bleak, it has an upbeat sound, making it perfect for jamming out to. Anyone who is interested in music that goes in depth on dark themes such as mental illness while still wanting a nice bop to hear should definitely give this album a listen.

For anyone curious of the future plans the band has, the three members intend to hold a tour later this year. A six-date arena tour is planned for April 2022, with shows taking place in Cardiff, Glasgow and other locations such as an appearance in London’s O2 on April 15th.