The Best Animals Ever in Band Form

What is the one thing I can go on and on and on about besides music or literature? Wombats. So naturally, when I saw there was an indie rock band called The Wombats, I had to check them out. To be completely honest, when I first listened to them a couple years ago, I didn’t think twice of their music.

Recently, I was on Spotify and this chill jam came on with a heavy drum beat and catchy melody that made me dance along. When I checked who it was, I almost couldn’t believe it. With their song “Greek Tragedy,” The Wombats suddenly reappeared on my radar again. My music taste has certainly evolved in the last couple years, and that’s when I knew it was time to give The Wombats another chance.

Formed in 2003 in Liverpool by lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Murphy, The Wombat features some talented marsupials, with Dan Haggis on drums and percussion and Tord Øverland Knudsen on bass. In 2007, their debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, brought The Wombats into the forefront of the music scene. Their success has led to This Modern Glitch in 2011, Glitterbug in 2015, and their newest album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life was released in February of 2018, bringing a resurgence in wombat fame. The Wombats even recorded a cover of “Bleeding Love”, my childhood heartbreak jam, bringing all my favorites together.

Murph, Dan, and Tord capture a vibe that is both rock and pop, with an uplifting and light beat your head can casually bop to. The Wombats have left their burrows in Australia and are currently on a UK and US tour that I hopefully will be able to attend so that I can finally say I’ve seen a wombat (even if it is a technicality). I came for their name but I stayed for their music. Wombats are wonderful, adorable creatures, and The Wombats’s music would certainly make my spirit animal proud.