Britpop, indie rock demigods The Wombats are set to release their fourth studio album, ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ early next year, and they’ve celebrated by giving us a juicy taste of what’s to come.
The single, titled ‘Lemon To A Knife Fight’, is the three-piece’s first foray into music since their UK Top Five album ‘Glitterbug’ took the indie world by storm in 2015 – in fact, we can’t deny we all still have remnants of that record on our day-to-day playlists.
The new single, however, takes a different tack to the anthemic nature of their last album; it’s not overproduced, it’s not overly embellished and—I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Wombats song, but—it’s almost understated.
Frontman Matt Murphy said he wanted to take a step back from the larger-than-life, unapologetic sound for which his band is known.
“I wanted to make an album that had more swagger, was a bit more laid back, something that wasn’t punching you in the face every time you listen to it,” ‘Murph’ explained.
Instead of the quintessential Wombats synths, guitar riffs and big build-ups, we are treated to something layered yet luscious, with a whole new level of depth.
Murph’s unmistakable punchy vocals are still there, but they’re layered to soften the blow and give the melody a certain welcome softness – perhaps likened more to something by The Strokes in their ‘I Can’t Win’ days, dusted with a little Bloc Party and even Radiohead for good measure.
‘Lemon To A Knife Fight’ is not a song that will leap out and grab you the first time you listen to it.
That said, though, by the second or third rotation, you’ll find yourself really listening, and it really matures.
This song proves that sometimes pulling a few punches is a very, very wise thing to do and we, for one, are very excited to hear the rest of the album.
‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ will be out February 9 and is available for pre-order now.
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