a cheeky, unofficial, & unnecessary review of a 14-year-old album kat lo faro
Formed in 2003, the noughties indie rockpop band The Wombats perfectly captures the teen angst and universal insecurities we experience as we grow up. The musical marsupials consist of Matthew “Murph’’ Murphy (guitar, vocals), Dan Haggis (percussion), and Tord Øverland Knudsen (of whose name I was planning to include a phonetic spelling, but after watching several Norwegian lesson videos on YouTube I decided I’d embarrass myself less by simply admitting I’m still unclear as to that damned Ø’s pronunciation) on bass guitar. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and heartache are combined with major keys and relentlessly lively drums. Combining usually-upbeat melodies and assertive drum beats with lyrics reminiscent of the reasons behind the angry tears we cried on our twin mattresses in the ninth grade, their “euphoric tales of romantic misadventures,” - in the words of the almighty Spotify - capture the best and worst parts of adolescence. 54
