The Wombats take over this week’s 1883 On Rotation playlist.
The Wombats have been a main staple on the UK music scene and beyond for years, thanks to their exceptional 2007 debut LP, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation and their repertoire of vibrant indie-pop songs. In 2022, 1883 caught up with Matthew “Murph” Murphy to speak about their fifth studio record, Fix Yourself, Not The World. Click here to read the interview. Now, the trio, which is finished off with bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen, and drummer Dan Haggis, have shared their new record, OH! The Ocean. It has arrived ahead of their biggest UK and European tour to date in March and April.
To celebrate the release of their new record OH! THE OCEAN, The Wombats’ Dan Haggis has curated a list of classic songs the band used to listen to in their early days.
“Float On” – Modest Mouse
A feel-good banger that soundtracked many a car journey back when we started as a band.
“Listzomania” – Phoenix
Absolute tune, that sonically and production wise, was very inspiring around album two for us.
“Mr Brightside” – The Killers
This would play every after-party in Liverpool when we started out as a band, and to this day, it still gets everyone on their feet when they hear it.
“Radiohead” – Weird Fishes
Radiohead is one of our favourite bands, it had such a huge influence on us growing up, they’ve always done whatever they wanted. This song is hypnotic and wonderful.
“Disparate Youth” – Santigold
I remember driving around San Francisco, and our A&R guy played this song in the car at full volume, driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a memory I’ll never forget.
“Paper Planes” – MIA
This was a staple at all our DJ sets over the years, and overall it’s just an amazing song.
“Heads Will Roll” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I remember listening to their album It’s Blitz a lot around the making of our second album – they’re really an amazing band.
“The Less I Know The Better” – Tame Impala
Tame Impala had a huge influence on us, production-wise and because he’s such an amazing psychedelic, yet pop artist. We love the world he creates.
“Australia” – The Shins
The Shins are one of my favourite artists over the years. Their melodies, production and eccentric lyrics always jumped out – this song is no different. Australia is from the album, Wincing The Night Away, which, if you haven’t heard it, check it out. It’s amazing.
“White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
I remember first hearing their EP when we went to South by Southwest in 2007 and there was no one like them at the time, probably isn’t still to this day. They just have beautiful harmonies and great songwriting.
“Sigur Ros” – Hoppipolla
We played alongside them and Radiohead at a festival in France back in 2007, and they put on such an amazing show. They are such a unique original band, and this song was never far from our splitter van in the early days.
OH! THE OCEAN is out now. Follow The Wombats @wombatsofficial
