Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life album cover. (14th Floor Records)
British rock band, The Wombats released their fourth snooze of an album last Friday. The 11-track project titled Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life satisfies the requirements of the indie-rock-pop genre but fails to demonstrate any lyrical or musical growth by the group.
The Liverpool based band is comprised of college friends Matthew Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen and Dan Haggis. The trio released their 2007 debut, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, entertaining the world with a punk-based series of tracks. However, their music has lost its authentic appeal, leaving fans with an album intended to reach the most mainstream of listeners.
Glitterbug, their previous record, is a mix of indie-dance-pop, weak punk-rock and washed out rock. However, despite the lack of focus the band managed to make the Billboard top 100 charts. This lack of organization continues over to Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life but with fewer guitar solos, catchy falsetto backing vocals and depth.
The third track on the album, “Turn,” incorporates every element necessary to a successful indie-pop-rock song. The song begins with a series of slow guitar riffs met with vocalist Matthew Murphy singing, “I jump from thought to thought like a flea jumps to a light.” The first 30 seconds of the song are a safe abbreviation for the continuing three minutes. Minutes which are filled with even more metaphors, more guitar and a series of pop-tastic “ohh ohhs.”
“Turn” is certainly catchy and by all means not a bad song. However, the catchy pop rhythm serves as a disguise for the appalling lack of substance in the lyrics. The series of metaphors where Murphy claims he wants to get “college girl drunk tonight” is part of a bigger plot to serenade a woman on how he likes the way she turns him inside out.
The Wombats relive their angst-filled teenage years in the track, “I Only Wear Black.” As Murphy chants, “I only wear black” a total of 10 times in the song, it becomes obvious that he wants to appear as if he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, including quality lyrics. “I Only Wear Black” has a set demographic and serves as relatable content for all angsty teens everywhere. For those who enjoy the rest of the rainbow, it purely serves as an addictive beat.
The bleak love songs continue with “Lethal Combination.” This atypical love ballad consists of Murphy droning on and on about “getting blind tonight” and holding each other’s hair back, presumably while they throw up. At one point Murphy sings, “And if you wake up happy you’re doing it wrong.” While the lyrics are definitely eccentric for a love song, the beat is even more unfitting. The pop-tasic “ohhh ohhhs” are back and in full swing. The song is sung to an upbeat melody making the lyrics even more out of place.
Despite the lack of focus, the album itself is not entirely a flop. A few of the tracks are catchy and entertaining, making for a perfect addition to your favorite “hipster” playlist. However, the project lacks a climax, leaving listeners bored, dissatisfied and wanting more.
The Wombats abandoned their rock roots to hop on the indie-pop bandwagon while at the same time producing a few catchy beats and lyrics for the teen demographic. So, remember Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life the next time you want to impress that trendy girl in your class with the Urban Outfitter’s Nirvana shirt on.
Contact CU Independent Arts Writer Charlotte Spaeth at charlotte.spaeth@colorado.edu.
