Earlier this year, The Wombats released Oh! The Ocean, via AWAL. With the album, which hit #4 in The UK, they once again provide escapism from the mundane with songwriting that has profound meaning to audiences in turbulent times, packaged in the band’s deceptively cuddly and playful façade. Alongside familiar sounds, they explore new genres from glistening tech rock to sci-fi pop, futuristic fuzz rock to bluesy rock’n’roll, with touches of disco and hip-hop inflections.
The title is inspired by a revelatory trip to the beach Murph took on a family holiday. Speaking on the experience, Murph says, “I’ve been to many beaches and seas and coasts over the years but for some reason it felt like the first time I had ever seen it and was truly present. There was this revelation that I had been living a life caught up in my own head, or in some kind of racing helmet or with blinkers on. It was really a potent experience. I felt like I saw everything new for the first time, and was aware that I had been so selfish to not take in how crazy the world and life is. I’d been caught up in my own BS for way too long.”
Murph then says that the album offers up some internal questions like: “Why are my head and body disconnected all the time? Why am I incapable at times of seeing any form of beauty in the world or in others? Why do I expect the world to conform to my will? Why do I never stop and smell the flowers? How am I conscious? That’s why I called album 6 ‘Oh! The Ocean.’”
The band have since supported the album with tours across Australia, The UK and Europe. Today, they are excited to announce tour of North America with dates kicking off October 15 in Seattle and concluding in Boston on November 14. Along the way, they will stop at The NoVo in Los Angeles on October 22 and in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 12. All shows are listed below and tickets are on-sale here.
The Wombats – North American Tour Dates:
10/15 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
10/17 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
10/18 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
10/20 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
10/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
10/24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
10/25 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
10/27 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
10/28 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
10/30 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis
11/01 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
11/03 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
11/04 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
11/06 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre
11/07 and 11/8 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
11/11 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
11/12 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
11/14 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues
The Wombats – Oh! The Ocean 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
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
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