It’s been a long wait for fans of the Marsupial Trio, but the Liverpudlian pop outfit has finally dropped their first single to the highly anticipated 3rd studio album, Glitterbug.
It seems like an age since The Wombats brought us some new music since the release of This Modern Glitch in 2011 with endless touring of the US and Australia. Their second album showed how the band has evolved, both in maturity and musical dexterity. This theme seems set to continue with the release of ‘Greek Tragedy’, a powerful and catchy anthem with dark origins.
It’s no secret that The Wombats’ front man, Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy, has used music as his catharsis, laying out his struggles underneath a blanket of energetic party-pop arrangements (‘Moving to New York’, ‘Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)’) and he would be the first to admit it. Nothing has changed in that respect with Greek Tragedy marking his time in Los Angeles, seemingly wandering around in no-mans land.
This Modern Glitch saw the band venture into a more dynamic sound with increasing use of electro and synth elements in their tracks, shock to many traditional Wombats fans. ‘Greek Tragedy’ seems to strike the perfect balance between their traditional roots of high tempo guitar riffs and offbeat percussion with new, compelling synth sounds that will be interesting to see translated into a live show.
Along with the single, the band released the bold and graphic music video starring April Pearson (Michelle from Skins). The video depicts an obsessed fan (Pearson) who stalks the band members and eventually murders them to fulfill her dreams of having them to herself. Powerful to say the least.
In 2013, the band released a free download of ‘Your Body is a Weapon’, a named track on upcoming album Glitterbug. Although surrounded by some initial hype, the track did not establish itself, possibly due to the lack of supporting material. Greek Tragedy does have the potential to stand on its own legs and has left fans craving more, setting up an exciting year if you’re a Wombat.
Glitterbug is due to be released on 6th April.
Michael Bowes
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