Hello hello. Long-time no see. Never fear, I’m here, and I’m back with my top 5 songs that got me through the month of January! I bet you all were waiting with bated breath for this one, weren’t you?
This is the first time I will ever have to start one of these off with a disclaimer, but it’s completely necessary for this post. Let me tell you why. My (tied) favourite band of all time, The Wombats, released their new album Fix Yourself, Not The World last month, which is their FIRST PROPER ALBUM IN FOUR YEARS. FOUR YEARS!! So, the disclaimer is this; this song list isn’t entirely accurate, because if I could, I would have made all the songs (bar the Gang of Youths one – my other number one band of all time) ones from this album. This was hard for me, I deserve a pat on the back.
Anyways, sorry for the spoilers, but without further ado – here is my top 5 songs that got me through January!
(Note: Elephant (Wiggles’ Version) will NOT be included.)
Number 5: Scarlett – Holly Humberstone
I’m absolutely super late to this one, but winner of the Rising Star award at the Brits this year, Holly Humberstone, is absolutely incredible, and I am now her biggest fan. Her EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin came out last year, and had slowly been infiltrating mine and everyone else’s brain until last month when I actively took it upon myself to listen to it properly. AND NOW I CAN’T TURN BACK.
I actually voted for another song of hers, Please Don’t Leave Just Yet, in the Hottest 100 last year, but could have voted for any of the other songs in her EP if I had listened to it in time – they’re all just that good. The likes of G Flip and literally every single triple j presenter in the history of the world have non-stop been praising Holly since her EPs release, and her Brits win is absolutely representative of the music she creates. Seriously, listen to this song now and you have just a little bit of time to say ‘I listened to her before she was big’. You can thank me later.
For me, the thing that really makes this song is the lyrics. She’s 22, and constantly makes me feel bad about myself in the way she expresses feelings and makes YOU feel them, and create images in your mind as easily as if she was Van Gogh. Like it’s as easy as BLINKING. Shout out to the lyrics ‘we go together like bad British weather and the one day I make plans,’ I laughed out loud the first time I heard that one.
Number 4: Worry – The Wombats
And so it begins. This is dangerous waters for me. I could literally talk about The Wombats all day on about 6 breaths of air. But I won’t do that to you today. Right now, I am here to tell you about the song Worry.
This song encapsulates the humour that is regularly contained within The Wombats music. They are known (at least amongst my family and friends) for their unusual lyrics that for some reason work without having any right to, and their way of storytelling and scene setting that work the same. For example, there is a point in this song were Murph, the lead singer, is spit balling about his stresses around feeding his newborn child, and that he doesn’t know how much baby milk will cause the child to spew. BUT IT WORKS!!
Not surprisingly, this song is about worry, and the general paranoia that follows people around during their everyday lives. The main standout lyrics (and the bit that always gets stuck in people’s heads) is the line in the chorus, ‘it’s not paranoia if it’s really there’. As an anxious person who is also an extreme worrier, I relate to this song immensely, and it makes me feel SEEN.
Multiples of three keep me warm, keep me stable,
Six candles on the wall with just one lit.
Flick a switch, lick a key, paint a chair on a table,
Superstition is a wasp at your picnic.
Worry – The Wombats
Number 3: Flip Me Upside Down – The Wombats
Here we have the opening song of the album, Flip Me Upside Down. This album is the bands fifth, and during the process of their creation, The Wombats have changed their sound somewhat. Their first album, The Wombats Proudly Present… A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation, was a combination of alternative indie and rock music. Their 2018 album ventured more towards the indie pop side of the spectrum. Flip Me Upside Down is the perfect combination of the two, and it just WORKS.
I fell in love with The Wombats through listening to their rock music, and this song really brings them AND the album back to that part of their (and my) life. The song GOES OFF, and the experience of listening to this song for the first time won’t matched. It’s kind of hard to explain unless you listen to it, but it really sets you up for a listening EXPERIENCE, and trust me – IT’S A GOOD ONE.
You may remember I mentioned that The Wombats have some of the strangest lyrics I have ever heard. Let me tell you this particular lyrics from this song; ‘I can’t recall all the things you said, can we put it back together like monkey bread’. Regardless, this song freaking SLAPS. Listen to it.
Number 2: in the wake of your leave – Gang of Youths
JUST WHEN YOU THINK THEY CAN’T DO BETTER THAN ANGEL OF 8TH AVE., THEY WHIP THIS ONE OUT. I will absolutely, undoubtedly, no questions asked listen to and enjoy any song that Gang of Youths produce, but sometimes they just randomly chuck out ones that go beyond all expectations and blow my tiny little mind. This one is freaking insane.
There are a number of songs I listen to when I’m already feeling extraordinarily content with life that just allow me to savour the moment. That is exactly what this song is to me. Listen to it and it will absolutely brighten your mood. It makes you feel something.
It’s got Gang of Youths’ signature drumming in the background, Dave’s absolutely glorious vocals, its different but still them, and its everything I didn’t know I needed in the month of January. Seriously, try listening to this one without having a little boogie along with it. I promise you, you can’t. I wanna cry just thinking about it.
ALSO! Gang of Youths’ new album comes out at the end of this month (AFTER FIVE WHOLE YEARS THIS TIME), so spoiler alert, the next one of these posts may just be an album review.
Number 1: People Don’t Change People, Time Does – The Wombats
Hello Spacey Jane! This one is a combination of all things good. Twangy guitar, Wombats’ lyrics, and VIBES. This song is one of those hidden gems you find in albums; it exists amongst the singles almost as if it was written to take up a space, but really it’s one of the best.
This is one of the more chilled, beachy vibe songs on the album, and the fact that it exists with songs like Flip Me Upside Down in the same album puts emphasis on exactly why I love The Wombats as much as I do. They can write music exactly as they always have and its bloody fantastic, and they can also change it up a bit and write songs that wouldn’t be questioned coming from the likes of Spacey Jane, and it’s still THEM and BRILLIANT. Basically, I would listen to The Wombats reading the phone book.
The song tells a story of the downfall of a person, and the unrealistic want to actively change them to someone better. I think this is something everyone experiences during their lifetimes, watching a friend change into someone you hardly know and wanting back who they once were. The song reminds the listener to sit back and watch, knowing it’s completely likely that time will change them once again back to who they were, and not wasting your time trying. But more importantly, this song freaking sounds amazing, the guitar at the beginning that carries throughout the song, and the way Murph sings from beginning to end – its slick, smooth, and THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE. I love The Wombats.
And that’s it from me. If you take anything out of this blog post, it’s that you MUST listen to The Wombats new album. It’s a matter of urgency.
As always, here is a link to my Spotify playlist for the month of January. Listen away!
Sara Michelle 