The Wombats have shared their sombre new single ‘My Head Is Not My Friend’ from their upcoming album ‘Oh! The Ocean’.
Featuring a slow tempo with a soft bass line and frontman Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy’s sweet vocals singing the vulnerable and relatable lyrics: “Let’s spend the day in bed / Talk about you instead / My head is not my friend,” The Liverpudlian band’s latest single discusses one’s internal struggles with themselves and not being the nicest to ones self.
Speaking about ‘My Head Is Not My Friend’ in a press release, Murphy shared: “‘My Head Is Not My Friend’ is a song about the idea that maybe I don’t actually have my best interests at heart.”
The song’s accompanying visualiser features a mannequin head that has been set on fire in the middle of a winter snowstorm. Check out the video above.
‘My Head Is Not My Friend’ marks the third single to be released from The Wombats’ upcoming sixth studio album ‘Oh! The Ocean’, following on from the previously released ‘Blood On The Hospital Floor’ and lead single ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come’.
Produced by John Congleton (St.Vincent, Death Cab For Cutie), ‘Oh! The Ocean’ marks their first since topping the UK album chart with 2022’s ‘Fix Yourself, Not The World’ and headlining the Radio One tent at Reading & Leeds 2024 and was inspired by a revelatory experience Murphy had on a beach during a family holiday this summer.
Speaking to NME about the inspiration for the album, Murphy shared: “I’d had a particularly funky morning and didn’t sleep well. I took my family down to the beach around Orange County way, the kids were off playing and I was just stood there looking at the ocean. It was a very mushroomy experience.”
He continued: “I saw the ocean and the waves and everything as if for the first time. It was like I was an alien, I’d come from a different planet and I was put on a beach and someone took my blindfold off and showed me the ocean. I was like, ‘What the fuck is that? How did it get there?’ It was the most awestruck I’ve ever been, really.”
‘Oh! The Ocean’ is set for release on February 14 2025 via AWAL and is available for pre-order here.
Elsewhere, The Wombats are set to embark on a full UK arena tour as well as a string of European dates early next year. Check out full dates below and visit here to purchase tickets.
The Wombats’ 2025 UK and EU tour dates are:
MARCH
18 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
19 – London, The O2
21 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
22 – Manchester, AO Arena
23 – Hull, Connexin Live
25 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
26 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
28 – France, Paris, Le Trabendo
30 – Netherlands, Tilburg, 013 Tilburg
31 – Netherlands, Amsterdam, Paradiso
APRIL
1 – Germany, Cologne, E-Werk
3 – Germany, Munich, Theaterfabrik
4 – Switzerland, Zurich, Komplex 457
5 – Czech Republic, Prague, Archa +
7 – Germany, Berlin, Columbiahalle
8 – Germany, Munster, Jovel Music Hall
10 – Norway, Oslo, Rockefeller Music Hall
11 – Denmark, Copenhagen, Pumpehuset
12 – Sweden, Stockholm, Vasateatern
15 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Den Atelier
16 – Belgium, Brussels, Botanique
JUNE
19 – Liverpool, Pier Head
