The Wombats are set to release their fifth studio album, ‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’ on the 14th of January. I caught up with Dan Haggis to chat about the album, it’s recording and Murph’s falsetto range.
“It’s about looking inwards to solve and confront your own problems rather than avoiding your demons by filling your time with endless distractions. I think we’ve always had an introspective side to our songs but after going through the pandemic where most distractions were taken away, there was nowhere else to look other than inwards and I think a lot of people went through some tough times mentally trying to reevaluate who they were and what they need to function. When Murph [Matthew Murphy], suggested the title we all had lots of thoughts about what it means. We really wanted an album title that made people think. Everyone will hopefully have their own take on the title and album and with any luck a few conversations will be started as a result.”
The album was recorded remotely from the band’s respective homes over the past year. They discussed each day’s plan via Zoom, then recorded separately, and sent individual files to producers. I wondered how the band found the remote process and if Dan thought the album would have sounded different if the band had been able to be together in the same place writing and recording.
“We’ve lived in different countries for over 6 years now so we’re used to sending ideas and files back and forth but we’ve never done a full album! As with most things in life there were upsides and downsides, fortunately we had some really organised producers working with us so keeping all the parts in the right folders, everything recorded at the same bit rate, at the right tempo etc was pretty smooth. It was fun hearing the songs come together in a slightly different way than before too. We always have pretty solid demos of the songs we’re recording by the time we make an album and this was more important than ever on this album. We had worked out what we needed to re-record, what we were going to keep and what needed work, our producer even made a nice pdf sheet with each track and the notes we all had!”
“We did write half the album all together in LA throughout 2019 which was great and gave us a good platform for the album once the pandemic hit. Of course the album would’ve been a bit different, you can’t help but be influenced by where you are and who you’re with. Just being in a different studio usually means you have access to slightly different microphones, instruments and outboard gear, not to mention the room itself sounding different so I actually think this album sounds even better and richer than it otherwise would because of that! There was a sitar lying around in Murph’s studio so that is on a few songs, if it hadn’t been there I’m not sure we would’ve necessarily hired one in! (It’s on ‘Ready For The High’ and ‘Wildfire’ for sure if anyone wants to try to listen out for it!)”
‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’ is a vibrant album that boasts The Wombats’ dynamic indie rock sound. The album is awash with irresistible musical gems for the listener to indulge in again and again; for example, ‘Flip Me Upside Down’, ‘Ready For The High’ and ‘Wildfire’ all highlight the infectious, fun and insatiable groove-filled sound we have come to love from The Wombats. It’s a cohesive collection of tracks.
“Thanks! Yeah we always write between 20-30 songs for an album then the album usually starts emerging from the songs and towards the end of the process we get an idea of what’s missing.”
There are such great guitar moments in the album. The Wombats allow the guitar to flourish within each of the songs. The guitar has always been an enticing factor in the band’s sound and within this album, they venture into many genres with the guitar from indie elements to heavier rock, psychedelic and more.
“The first song we made for the album was Ready For The High, I started playing the opening riff on acoustic guitar and we built the song around it, it felt like it could be grungy so we plugged in to this little cigarette packet sized amp which sounds insane and that was the sound we kept for the album. The guitar sounds in the chorus changes completely from the opening, we tried to make all the transitions as dramatic and drastic as possible on this album, Basically, each song we make, we imagine what we’re aiming for sonically and then start playing with guitar sounds, sometimes we’ll use references from other genres to help us find the right sound, it’s such a fun process.”
Throughout the album, The Wombats fill out their sound with experimental synths. ‘Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard’ has a subtle electronic punk/indie vibe. I wondered if the band have multiple versions of each song as they figured out what they wanted.
“We do have pretty solid, well thought through demos of all the songs but yeah, when we record we often do LOTS of options for each section just we try enough ideas and make sure we’re not missing any mind-blowing sounds or moments.”
‘Don’t Poke The Bear’ is another great track. Witty lyrics and jaunty guitar drive the track while rooted bass and buoyant drums create an upbeat foundation. Dan explained to me what inspired the song.
“I wanted us to make a bouncy swing song and so we started messing around and before long we had the music pounding, then we usually make a rough backing track for Murph to listen to and he walks around writing lyrics. When we were making this song he had a cold and his wife was worried he’d give it to his daughter so it was a little bit stressful for him. I’m guessing it was about not pushing people too far and knowing when to give each other space.”
Murph’s vocals slip into falsetto for a few tracks on the album. The effect creates a dynamic texture within each tune. The band’s ability to produce fresh and exciting elements in their sound is inspiring and Murph’s sweet falsetto adds an impressive aspect to the album.
“Yeah it’s fun messing with range and melodies, we’d never really done full verses (apart from maybe Emoticons) with just falsetto so on this album Wildfire and Ready For The High it was fun to go from falsetto in the verses to full voice in the choruses. You ultimately come up with slightly different melodies depending on whether you sing full voice or falsetto so it keeps us, and hopefully the fans, on our toes.”
The Wombats bring the album to a close with ‘Fix Yourself, Then The World (Reach Beyond Your Fingers)’. The track is a subtle psychedelic gem and the perfect end to this riveting album. Deciding on an album track list is a gruelling task especially the closing tune. Dan explained how the band decided on their closing song.
“Yeah we always spend a while going back and forth with the track listing, we always try to make album’s that you can listen to all the way through from start to finish. The album closer was potentially going to be an interlude on the album at one point but we realised that Method to the Madness did a similar job on giving the album a couple of minutes breathing space so then we realised it was the perfect album closer. From the chaos of Flip Me Upside Down to the eventual calm of the last track. It was actually a jam we had in Murph’s studio after smoking a little CBD stick and it felt so good we just left it as it was originally recorded.”
The Wombats have announced a series of eleven exclusive UK intimate shows which started on January 6th, 2022 at PRYZM, Kingston to celebrate the album’s release. This is an extraordinary opportunity for fans to catch the band in such an intimate set-up before they go on the road for their biggest ever UK headline tour set for 2022. Dan told me what fans can expect from their upcoming shows.
“Lots of energy and new music!. Yeah we can’t wait. Playing the new album live is the final piece in the jigsaw for us so fingers crossed we get to play the shows!”
With five album’s under their belt since forming in 2003 and numerous shows and tours to date, I wondered what advice Dan would give to an aspiring musician or band beginning their career in music.
“Just enjoy and focus on making music with your mates, don’t worry about getting signed or anything other than being the best musician you can and expressing yourself honestly through your art. If anything else comes along it’s a bonus.”
The Wombats are notorious for their dynamic indie anthems, irresistible hooks, and glorious dance floor boppers. ‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’ follows this trend superbly and highlights the band’s knack for insatiable melodies, witty lyrics and refined musicianship. The album is a thrilling listening experience.
‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’ is set for release on the 14th of January. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here https://thewombats.ffm.to/fyntw.oyd
Watch the video for ‘Everything I Love Is Going To Die’ below.
Author: Danu
