by Kirsty McConnell
It was 2011 when we last heard something new from The Wombats. Indeed, it could be said that for the last few years they were something of a forgotten relic, forever doomed to lurk in the darkest corners of my slightly outdated iTunes library. So it was definitely something of a surprise when ‘Greek Tragedy’ (the first single to come from Glitterbug) found its way to my ears.
I would say ‘Greek Tragedy’ was the gem of this album, but I can’t because it is simply too hard to choose any one song as they all have their merits. For ‘Greek Tragedy’ this is its catchy chorus. But fear not, this album is not just a collection of upbeat anthems for dancing to. In fact, Glitterbug shows a remarkable range of styles and depth for just one album. One moment you’re immersed in the slow, raw emotion of ‘Isabel’ and the next you’re at a house party gone wrong with ‘This Is Not A Party’. This range means that there is something for almost everyone. I defy you to listen to the album and not find at least one song that draws you in.
What’s great about this album is that you can tell that it’s the culmination of a lot of work – you would hope so given that they have had four years! It’s clear that in this time they have evolved their sound and the result is something that will satisfy both fans and newcomers.
I would say Glitterbug will appeal to fans of Fall Out Boy, Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and dare I say Calvin Harris (you will believe me when you hear the beats of some of these tracks). The Wombats have also cited Madness, Blur and The Beatles as major influences, which are definitely detectable in some of the tracks.
My personal highlights are ‘Greek Tragedy’, ‘Be Your Shadow’ and ‘Isabel’ whilst my lowlights include ‘The English Summer’ – which I find to be a little whiny – and ‘Emoticons’.
The deluxe edition of Glitterbug features two bonus tracks in the form of ‘Flowerball’, which is reminiscent of their older work, and ‘Sex and Question Marks’, which is just plain good. In fact that’s how I would describe the album as a whole. Not every track is a hit but it is definitely a quality piece of work that is worth a listen.
Glitterbug was released on 13th April 2015.}
