The Wombats 'Fix Yourself, Not The World' Review - Stereogum

Things get off to a brisk start with "Flip Me Upside Down," on which propulsive bass and drums whisk you away through segments both tuneful and aggressive. It's a song about being enthralled and inspired by a romantic partner, and Matthew Murphy's vocals effectively channel that intoxication. Here and throughout the album, Murphy asserts his stature as a compelling microphone presence, a savvy lyricist, and a melodic craftsman capable of ratcheting up from conversational tenderness to impassioned wails without missing a beat. There are glimpses of several decades' worth of British alt-rock greats in his delivery, from Jarvis Cocker to Thom Yorke to Alex Turner to Matty Healy. But with lyrics like "So baby keep your big mouth shut and stop wasting my time," he makes it abundantly clear which era he emerged in.

The music on Fix Yourself, Not The World is a similarly effective fusion of historical touchstones. The gliding, uptempo "This Car Drives All By Itself" evokes Republica's "Ready To Go" or the time-lapse euphoria of Madonna's "Ray Of Light," while "Ready For The High" rides in on chunky guitar chords right out of Blur's late-'90s American alt-rock phase. "Everything I Love Is Going To Die" is a new wave strut that lays the groundwork for the plastic funk of "Wildfire." Even the parts that directly call back to the Wombats' heyday pop like new — take advance single "If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You," with verses worthy of Phoenix and a chorus the likes of which we haven't heard from Kele Okereke since Silent Alarm. Murphy tellingly name-drops Radiohead on that one; there's more than a little Yorke in lyrics like "It's not paranoia if it's really there," though the context for Murphy's falsetto flights of fancy is more likely to remind you of descendants like Muse or alt-J.

At the dawn of 2022, the 20-year nostalgia cycle indicates the time is right for a dance-punk revival, and releases like last year's Citizen album suggest renewed interest in the era that birthed the Wombats. But for every moment on Fix Yourself, Not The World that calls back to the band's salad days, there's one that shows the Wombats aging gracefully, subtly evolving their sound without losing their core identity. "We're all trying to get better, and we've all had quite enough of this pleasant displeasure," Matthew Murphy sings halfway through the album. "But people don't change people, time does." Maybe so, but not every group delivers an album this accomplished and mature 15 years past their debut.

Fix Yourself, Not The World is out 1/14 on AWAL. [Editor's note: LOL, I've just learned that this week's Album Of The Week actually comes out next week.]

Other albums of note out this week:

• The Weeknd's Dawn FM
• Burial's ANTIDAWN EP
• Gunna's DS4
• Waxahatchee's El Deafo soundtrack EP
• thanks for coming's rachel jr.
• AITIS BAND's AITIS BAND III
• Vulfpeck's Vulf Vault 005: Wong's Cafe
• Deaf Club's Productive Disruption