New album Oh! The Ocean lands February 2025
The Wombats Oh The Ocean. The Liverpool trio returns with their sixth studio album this February, diving into introspection, indie hooks, and sharp storytelling.
Conflicting dates, confirmed waves
Officially, The Wombats Oh! The Ocean is due out February 14, 2025, but some industry listings suggest a February 21 release. That slight mystery has only added to the anticipation. Either way, it marks the band’s first album since 2022’s Fix Yourself, Not the World — and it arrives just in time to shake up the mid-winter release cycle.
This isn’t a filler record. It’s 12 full tracks, each hinting at deeper emotional layers and lyrical wit. From the self-aware punch of “Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come” to the reflective chaos of “My Head Is Not My Friend,” The Wombats are digging under the surface.
Here’s the full tracklist:
- Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come
- Can’t Say No
- Blood On The Hospital Floor
- Kate Moss
- Gut-Punch
- My Head Is Not My Friend
- I Love America And She Hates Me
- The World’s Not Out To Get Me, I Am
- Grim Reaper
- Reality Is A Wild Ride
- Swerve (101)
- Lobster
If that looks chaotic, that’s the point. The titles suggest a band embracing existential weirdness with humour, honesty, and just enough existential dread to stay relatable.
Wombats grow up, sort of
Lead singer Matthew Murphy describes the record as a journey through “the ebb and flow of life.” The metaphor is baked into the title, but it’s more than just water imagery. Oh! The Ocean builds on the Wombats’ trademark energy — indie-disco bounce, ironic detachment, bittersweet verses — while slowing things down when it matters.
Murphy hinted at “a deeper sense of storytelling” on this one. The lyrics still crack jokes, but the punchlines now land with a bit more gravity. There’s tension between melody and meaning, joy and fatigue, optimism and collapse. In other words, it’s a Wombats album — just one with more depth.
Tracks like “I Love America And She Hates Me” and “The World’s Not Out To Get Me, I Am” could feel like pure meme-bait, but there’s substance under the sarcasm. These aren’t throwaway titles — they’re inner monologues turned into bangers.
Layered sound, sharper lyrics
Insiders who’ve heard the album say it’s packed with detail — not just sonically, but structurally. This isn’t a single-driven release. It plays like a sequence, and fans who listen front to back will catch its narrative pulse.
Expect cleaner synths, subtler guitars, and smart production choices. There’s still big energy here — this isn’t some moody acoustic left-turn — but it feels more composed. Think This Modern Glitch meets Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, but with an older head and fewer filters.
“Kate Moss” reportedly plays like a distorted love letter, while “Gut-Punch” leans into heavier drums and low-end warmth. “Reality Is A Wild Ride” is pure catharsis. Nothing here is phoned in. The record’s pacing alone proves The Wombats still know how to build tension, break it, and glue it back together in three minutes flat.
Touring through the tide
The Wombats will support Oh! The Ocean with a UK tour starting March 2025. Dates span major cities, with tickets already on sale and moving fast. While the venues are larger this time around, the shows promise a tight blend of new material and fan-favourite chaos.
If you’ve seen The Wombats live, you know what to expect: confetti, crowd surfing, awkward dance moves, and deadpan banter. But with this album, expect the setlists to take on new layers — you’ll still hear “Let’s Dance To Joy Division,” but you’ll also catch these newer, darker cuts in full technicolour.
It’s that balance — the party and the panic — that’s made them last. And if early reactions are any clue, Oh! The Ocean might be their most balanced release to date.
Final words on The Wombats Oh! The Ocean
Oh! The Ocean finds The Wombats embracing what they’ve always done best — mixing anxious honesty with undeniable indie-pop joy — but this time with sharper edges and longer shadows. It’s not a reinvention, but a distillation. The weird parts get weirder, the real parts get rawer, and the jokes cut closer to the bone.
In an age of algorithmic albums and TikTok singles, this record feels built to live a little longer. Every track holds up on its own, but together they paint something bigger. There’s heartache, ego, euphoria and disillusionment — often in the same verse. That emotional surf is what keeps pulling listeners back.
The Wombats have always been better than they’re given credit for. This album won’t change everyone’s mind, but it’s not trying to. It’s just here to soundtrack your highs and lows, your comedowns and your night drives. And honestly, what more do you need?
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