Two decades in and The Wombats are bigger than ever, playing to massive crowds, dropping fresh records, and bringing in new generations of fans at every turn. Now, they’re jumping headfirst into the fog/their next chapter with ‘Oh! The Ocean’ – a freshly, introspective album that undoubtedly positions them at the forefront of the 2010s indie-rock resurgence. True to form, they’re hitting the road hard in 2025, with their biggest UK tour yet and a return to Australia for several headline shows and a slot at SummerSalt Festival.
At this stage in their career, The Wombats really could have settled into nostalgia. Instead, ‘Oh! The Ocean’ shakes things up, whittled down from 50 rough ideas and sculpted into something bold and restless in LA with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Wallows, Death Cab for Cutie). The album came out of a moment of clarity, Murph, staring at the ocean on a family holiday, realising he’d spent years stuck in his own head. That shift in perspective ripples through the record, tackling everything from existential detachment to reckless escapism.
There’s ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come‘ and ‘Can’t Say No’, classic Wombats tracks that dress up self-destruction as a party anthems, and ‘I Love America and She Hates Me‘, a dancefloor-ready ode to the country’s contradictions, complete with a hypnotic, slightly bizarre Cyr wheel-themed music video. Speaking on the video, Director Logan Fields says: “When Murph first sent me a clip of Hauke’s cyr wheel routine we knew this was the video. We flew him out from Germany to perform in the video as he captured the ideas of the song so perfectly. It’s really about taking control of your life and attempting to escape external worldly pressures through passion and self-expression.”
In just a few weeks, The Wombats will embark on their biggest UK and European tour yet, hitting major arenas in Nottingham, London, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, and Leeds. Expect a setlist that weaves in back-catalogue staples from 2011’s ‘This Modern Glitch’ all the way to TikTok’s fave ‘Greek Tradegy’ alongside fresh cuts from ‘Oh! The Ocean’, keeping both diehard fans and newcomers in the mix.
Then, in September and October 2025, they’re heading back to what has always felt like a second home, Australia. Their headline run will take them across the country, including a top spot at SummerSalt Festival, which brings a mix of indie and alt-rock to scenic locations. And really, what better way to see The Wombats than under the open sky, sunburnt crowds, beers in hand, screaming along to ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’?
Joining them on select dates are Del Water Gap, Bea and Her Business, and Ra Ra Viper – acts that share The Wombats’ knack for infectious melodies and razor-sharp songwriting.
If ‘Oh! The Ocean’ is a reckoning with the past, this tour is a full-throttle sprint into the future. The Wombats are still packing out rooms, still writing massive hooks, and proving that indie rock is alive, kicking, and getting louder.
Image Credit: Julia Godfrey
