The Wombats – Fix Yourself, Not the World / Album Review

The Wombats return with their fifth studio album, Fix Yourself, Not the World. It only feels like not long ago these guys burst onto the scene with A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation. What’s great is that they’ve maintained their fanbase and reputation the entire time and haven’t lost a step, sounding just as fresh and ever, delivering an early contender for album of the year.

While the shift in sound from A Guide to… and This Modern Glitch might’ve been a little too much, Fix Yourself, Not the World sees a perfect amalgamation of the two. Built upon thick indie foundations, the new album hits as hard as the debut while hints of electronica round off the edges nicely. ‘Flip Me Upside Down’ kicks things off with a driving groove that stamps the beat into your head and takes you on a whirlwind of eccentric guitars, wandering harmonies and electronics that bring you into this modern world. The gloriously dreamy ‘This Car Drives All by Itself’ breathes a steadiness into the ears, with upbeat acoustic chords pairing with an effortlessly catchy chorus to create one of their easiest hits ever. This highlights The Wombats’ knack for staying relevant in the face of longevity.

Lead single ‘If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming with You’ brings nostalgia into the mix as synths straight from the 80s collide with Strokes-esque guitars to produce a sound that revels in its anxiety-inducing pace. It is frantic throughout and the two eras of instruments come together superbly to keep it flowing nicely. Then it all falls apart for ‘Ready for the High’, which just sounds massive in its execution. I already cannot wait to hear this live.

‘Everything I Love Is Going to Die’ offers a stark contrast that brings bleak lyricism with arguably the catchiest instrumental on the record. It’s probably the song that could sum up The Wombats’ sound perfectly. ‘Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard’ catches you off guard with an instrumental that throws away the clean riffage and distorts the mind instead, and ‘Wildfire’ brings even more of a new flavour to the mix, with stomping basslines and vocals tinged with RnB goodness. It is slick and steeped in groove.

Fix Yourself, Not the World is a fantastic album. The Wombats continue to amaze in their ability to sound like a brand-new act, even with this album featuring a lot of the tropes we’ve come to love from them. The combination of styles results in a listen that’s always going to be left guessing, even after repeated listens. I absolutely love it.