The Wombats

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British indie rock trio the Wombats make driving post-punk and new wave-influenced pop marked by their cheeky, satirically sharp-tongued point of view. After hitting the Top 20 in the U.K. with their 2007 debut, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, they reached the Top Five with 2011′s This Modern Glitch, 2015′s Glitterbug, and 2018′s Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.
Formed in Liverpool in 2003 while the members were all attending the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Wombats feature vocalist/guitarist Matthew Murphy, drummer Dan Haggis, and Norwegian-born bassist Tord Øverland-Knudsen. In 2006, the Wombats released their debut single, the Japan-only “Girls, Boys and Marsupials.” Several singles followed before the release of the band’s 2007 debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, which reached number 11 on the U.K. album chart. A year later, they released the Wombats EP on Bright Antenna.
The band’s sophomore album, This Modern Glitch, appeared in 2011 and featured production from such modern rock stalwarts as Eric Valentine, Butch Walker, and Jacknife Lee. Included on the album was the Top 40 single “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves).” In 2015, they returned with their third full-length album, the synth-heavy Glitterbug, which featured production from Mark Crew and included the singles “Greek Tragedy” and “Give Me a Try.” Somewhat of a breakout, the album was a commercial success in the U.K. and Australia, and marked the band’s first chart entry in the U.S.
In December 2017 the Wombats released “Turn,” the first single from their fourth LP, 2018′s Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life. Produced by Mark Crew (Bastille, Rationale) and Catherine Marks (the Killers, Wolf Alice), the album also included the singles “Lemon to a Knife Fight” and “Cheetah Tongue.” The album peaked at number three in the U.K. and hit the Billboard 200. In August 2018, the Wombats issued an extended version of Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, which added the single “Bee-Sting” as well as the album track “Oceans” and an acoustic version of “Lethal Combination.” Lead singer Murphy then took a break from the group to work on his solo project, Love Fame Tragedy, with whom he released 2020′s Wherever I Go, I Want to Leave. In May 2021, the Wombats returned with the song “Method to the Madness.” ~ Matt Collar