The Wombats - Oh! The Ocean

The Wombats have nothing left to prove. A band who grew from trailblazing flag-bearers in the middle of one era and continued to push against expectations to evolve into one of the UK’s biggest bands - on record number six, their status is secured. It’s what makes ‘Oh! The Ocean’ even more of a delight, an album that finds The Wombats on the sort of searing form that places it firmly as one of the band’s very best, and a joyful album of indie brilliance that’ll have you coming back over and over.

Never has a band in their position sounded so hungry. Managing to sound both arena-sized and raw at the same Tim, it’s a record that even in its most experimental moments feels warm. ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come’ blossoms from a strutting guitar line into huge choral singalongs whilst ‘Blood On The Hospital Floor’ and ‘Can’t Say No’ are anthems born for sweating indie club nights and giant festival stages alike - that DNA of The Wombats standing front and centre.

Time spent with new producer John Congleton plays true: recording live in a way they haven’t some time - it results in an album that pushes in every direction but at its core feels tight. Whether it’s the early-90s bagginess of ‘The World’s Not Out To Get Me, I Am’, the twisted electro-throbs of ‘Kate Moss’ or the affecting ‘My Head Is Not My Friend’, The Wombats sound more in tune and visceral than ever before. Hell, you can basically hear the snaps of each drum beat smacking against the rest of the band.

The result is an album that across its 12 tracks serves as an ambitious and complete evolution of what The Wombats are. Direct and electric, that status isn’t just secure - it’s getting bigger.