The Wombats - 'Holy Sugar'
The Wombats release new single ‘Holy Sugar’ and announce extended version of their latest album ‘Oh! The Ocean’
I’ve been a long-time fan of The Wombats, with songs like ‘Moving to New York’, ‘Greek Tragedy’, ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and ‘Kill the Director’ remaining some of my personal favourites from their discography. ‘Holy Sugar’ particularly stands out as one of their grittier songs compared to the singles from their latest album. The Wombats have also announced the extended version of ‘Oh! The Ocean’ alongside the new single release.
The lyrics in ‘Holy Sugar’ paint an emotionally layered picture of an intense and turbulent relationship between two people. Lines such as ‘you’re the only one I crave, got you on my lizard brain’ suggest that the relationship is marked by obsession and primal, unconscious impulses. On the other hand, lines such as “I’m not me without you sugar, I know just how to use you until I don’t” illustrate a sort of conflict between desire and awareness. The repetition of the lyric “wanna do it all again” suggests that despite all the chaos, the speaker still romanticises the intensity of what once was.
Sonically, ‘Holy Sugar’ bursts with energy, featuring bold guitars and dynamic vocals. The track brings back the sound of early Wombats hits like ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ but with the polish and maturity of a band that has been in the music scene for a while and evolved with each release.
This September, The Wombats plan to take the new album to Australia for a series of headline shows, before starting their major North American tour in October and finally returning to the UK for a huge arena tour from December onwards. The extended version of ‘Oh! The Ocean’ marks a bold new chapter in The Wombats’ journey, and I’m excited to see what they have in store for us.
Words by Irina Atanasiu
