The Wombats Are Hoping That You Enjoy Their Mistakes

It’s around 3:30 pm, and a winter chill is settling over the bruised Los Angeles skyline. The sun is slowly starting to melt over the horizon. The Wombats’ Matthew Murphy, or ‘Murph’ as he likes to be called, is standing by his pool with his dog Drake. He’s taking a moment for himself to mull things over. It’s the kind of moment when you can hear the weight of a week in the space between words.

The Murph who greets me today is a far cry from the Robert Smith-like figure he was in the early 2000s. Clean-shaven, he now resembles your funky uncle who manages the local pub up the road. But the change isn’t just in his appearance. There’s something rawer about him today. Perhaps more natural. Like all his layers have been pulled back entirely, exposing something truly moving.

“It's been a strange year,” he admits, nodding his head as though the reality of it all is still sinking in. “We fucked off to San Diego for a bit after it got bad. I know three people who don’t have a house now. It’s wild.” The recent wildfires in California have ravaged his community, adding a layer of emotional turmoil to an already difficult time.

Yet, it’s the passing of his dog—his first real pet—that’s hit him the hardest. “It’s the first time I’ve experienced loss like that,” he says, his voice steady but tinged with a deep sadness.

But despite the heavy personal loss, Murph, like all artists, often channels that pain into something bigger—something he hopes will resonate with others. He has done so on The Wombats’ new album, Oh! The Ocean, which the band will bring to Australia this September and October.

The unusual title came from a wild experience Murph had by the ocean whilst on holiday with family. “Oh! The Ocean came out of a feeling I had at the beach. A moment of clarity,” he explains. “It was like I’d been to the ocean a million times before, but this time it hit me differently. The questions it left me with are still there.”

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As he reflects on the process, it’s clear that the album—set for release on February 14, 2025—marks a significant shift for The Wombats. This isn’t just an album born from personal growth but one that embodies a renewed focus on imperfection and rawness. It reflects the way Murph is confronting life head-on, mistakes and all.

“We all get so caught up in the grind—wanting success, wanting more,” Murph admits. “But at the end of the day, I’ve got my family, I’ve got my dog, and there’s an ocean out there. It’s about appreciating what you have and finding beauty in the chaos.”

For Oh! The Ocean, the band decided to work with a new producer, John Congleton, who is known for his work with artists like St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, and Jamie T. This marked a departure from their long-time collaborator, Mark Crew.

The change in producer was not due to any grievances between Crew and the rest of the band but rather out of a ‘necessity’: to both match Murph’s newfound outlook and keep the creative process fresh. Something that is difficult to do, especially when you’ve been in the industry for more than two decades.

“I had this idea I wanted to embrace human error—or mistakes—for this record,” Murph shares. “It was a revolt against AI and my worries that it was going to [create] perfect music.”

This desire to embrace imperfection drove much of the album’s creation. “We recorded the basics first—guitar or piano, then drums and bass. It was messy, loose, and felt almost like an open mic night at the Dog and Bollock,” Murph says, a grin spreading across his face. “John [Congleton] didn’t want us to get stuck in any particular sound or idea. We were just trying to keep it real.”

This sense of freedom and experimentation has led to a sound that is a noticeable departure from the slick, polished feel of their previous albums. The rawness, the ‘mistakes,’ are front and centre, and it’s clear that the band is enjoying the process of discovering this new sonic territory.

Despite tackling heavy personal themes on Oh! The Ocean, Murph doesn’t seem to be weighed down by them. Instead, he maintains a sense of humour and perspective, even when talking about his own struggles. His well-documented battle with social anxiety, for instance, is something that has always been intertwined with his shy public persona.

“I’m a wreck when it comes to socialising,” he laughs. “I’m terrible at small talk. But get me on stage? That’s easy. I’ve already got the songs to play; the crowd is there for me, and if I say something stupid, no one really cares.”

At this point, I find myself scratching my head. How can someone who seems so effortlessly comfortable in front of thousands of people struggle with something as mundane as day-to-day social interaction?

“For me, it’s all about control,” he explains, offering some insight into his internal conflict. “On stage, I know what I’m doing. There’s no pressure to fit in or be something I’m not. I just play the songs.” Still, even on stage, Murph admits that he sometimes has to mentally check out to get through it. “I’m not an introvert or an extrovert; I’m just freaking out in the middle. It’s just how I get through it.”

As the band prepares for an arena tour across the UK and Australia, Murph’s anxiety seems less of a hindrance and more like part of the process. The band is excited to visit some of the more remote parts of Australia—places outside the typical cities.

“We’ve always liked playing in smaller towns,” he says, his voice tinged with enthusiasm. “We did Newcastle on the last tour, and we’ve played a few places outside the big spots. There’s something interesting about getting out of the big cities and seeing how people react. There’s lots of freaky people, and bogans. Which makes it all the more exciting.”

In many ways, Oh! The Ocean is a reflection of this mindset. It’s a record that embraces imperfections, not just musically but also in its exploration of human experience. The Wombats have been making music for over 20 years now, and it’s clear that they’re still evolving. They haven’t lost their sense of humour, but their lyrics have become more introspective and inherently more thoughtful.

This approach to authenticity seems to be a core tenet for Murph and the band. It’s not just about crafting a perfect sound—it’s about embracing the messy, human side of music. And in an era when technology is increasingly perfecting the art of production, Murph sees this rawness as a much-needed antidote.

“I’m not worried about AI replacing people in music,” he says with a confident smile. “I’m worried about it perfecting it too much. AI can’t mess up like a human can. I think that’s what gives music its soul—those little imperfections that make something feel alive.”

Murph’s concerns about AI are shared by many in the industry, including some of the biggest names in music. Recently, Paul McCartney voiced his own reservations about the potential for artificial intelligence to alter the essence of music.

While McCartney isn’t worried about AI replacing human musicians entirely, he voiced concerns about how it could be used to mimic artists’ styles without respecting their intellectual property. He argued that AI could lead to the exploitation of musicians if the proper legal safeguards aren’t put in place. McCartney’s concerns were particularly focused on how changes in copyright law could allow AI to freely reproduce music in ways that benefit tech companies rather than the artists themselves.

“I’m worried that AI is going to take over in a way that ‘rips off’ artists,” McCartney said in January 2025. “AI can’t truly replicate the soul and creativity of human artists. It can only mimic. And if it’s allowed to mimic without regulation, that’s going to create a huge problem for creators. We need to make sure the laws are changed to protect the artists.”

Murph resonates with McCartney’s sentiments. He’s not worried about AI creating music altogether but about the way it could strip the creative process of its messiness. “If you’ve got something that’s ‘perfect,’ it’s almost too clean,” he says. “I don’t want to listen to something that sounds like it was made in a lab.

“Music has to have that organic, raw edge—those little moments when things don’t quite go right but end up sounding so much better for it. That’s where the soul is.”

But Murph’s concerns go beyond the artistic side of things. He’s also worried about the effect that AI and the over-saturation of music could have on the music industry as a whole. “I’m actually more worried about the current state of music,” he admits. “A shitload of artists are now all in the same space and level, and very few take off. I’m wondering why that’s happening.”

Murph senses that the music industry is in the middle of a massive shift. With streaming platforms dominating the market, it’s harder than ever for new artists to stand out. “It feels like it did in 2015 when people didn’t realise streaming was becoming a thing,” he says. “Now, it feels like streaming might pass the baton to something else we haven’t figured out yet. But at the same time, we all need to be very careful about music becoming this free commodity.”

That’s where Oh! The Ocean comes in. The album is a rejection of the sanitized, perfect sound that technology can produce. Instead, Murph and the band embrace the idea that music isn’t about perfection—it’s about embracing mistakes.

“At the end of the day, AI won’t be able to make mistakes like us,” Murph muses with a wry smile. “So, we decided to make an album that’s full of them.”

In embracing the flaws, the band has crafted something truly remarkable. Something that feels truly alive, full of warmth, and undeniably human. But it also sounds like a protest. A refusal by the band to be automated, underpaid or undervalued as musicians.

Here, the Wombats aren’t just making music; they’re making an experience, one that reminds us of the importance of embracing imperfection and, quite frankly, fucking up.

The Wombats’ new album, Oh! The Ocean, is due out on February 14 – pre-order it here. The Wombats will tour Australia this September and October. You can find tickets via the Secret Sounds website.