It is rare to come across an album where every single song is just as good as the last, which is exactly what The Wombats’ new EP Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This does.
The mini album only features six songs and amounts to a very short 18 minutes and 36 seconds which leaves the listener desperately wanting more.
Each song on the EP was originally written for the band’s sixth album Fix Yourself, Not The World which was released 10 months earlier in January of this year. The band told Rolling Stone that the songs were too good and strong to never be heard, and so were comprised into a mini album.
The album does not stray from The Wombats’ well known indie rock sound with their ability to write extremely catchy and strong choruses being prominent in every song and was even produced by the bands very own bassist Tom Øverland Knudsen.
The first song featured on the EP I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up is a perfect example of what an indie rock song should be. Lead singer Mathew Murphy’s vocals provide a melody which feels familiar yet fresh, combined with a unique strumming pattern and chord progression which of course amps up alongside the drums during the chorus which results in an catchy chorus.
The two songs that follow are Dressed to Kill and Demon which both feel slightly less upbeat that the other songs within the EP with Demon being the only song to feature an acoustic guitar. Even within these songs the band stays true to their indie rock roots and provide two well written and performed songs.
The title track, Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This, comes exactly halfway through the album. Murphy stated that he got the idea for this song after driving past an extremely old and rundown hotel and thought about what compromising things people are doing within the hotel which would be out of character for them to do in their normal lives.
It is a very interesting concept for a song which is accompanied yet again by unique riffs and drumming pattern. This is definitely one of the songs that crowds will absolutely love during their live performances.
This song is followed by Same Old Damage which has a haunting and darker feel to the song which works well within the album and allows the EP to feel well paced. In true Wombats style, the song crescendos to a loud and powerful ending.
The song ends on Good Idea at the Time which starts slow but quickly progresses into a fast-paced dizzying combination of instruments mixed with strong vocals from Murphy which provides a perfect ending to the EP.
There is a reason why the band are still as popular as they were after their first album release 14 years ago, with this EP proving they still have the same creativity and originality that many bands strive to achieve.
Featured image credit: Normanrecords
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