The Wombats Oh! The Ocean
Released Feb 14, 2025 The Wombats
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 15, 2026
Split critical consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. The Wombats' Oh!
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Blood On The Hospital Floor
1 critic mention
“as is “Blood On the Hospital Floor.” — Glide Magazine
I Love America And She Hates Me
1 critic mention
“a smart Gang Of Four-worthy dance punk number.” — Glide Magazine
The World's Not Out To Get Me, I Am
1 critic mention
“we finally get the best track, "The World’s Not Out to Get Me, I Am".” — PopMatters
Full critic consensus
The Wombats' Oh! The Ocean finds the band reaching for greater emotional ambition, with results that divide critics between admiration for its melodic confidence and doubt about its earnestness. The album holds a 63.33/100 consensus score across three professional reviews, suggesting an uneven but occasionally rewarding listen rather than an unqualified return to form.
Reviewers agree that the record sounds more reflective and comfortable than a simple rush of indie-sleaze nostalgia, though they disagree on whether that growth pays off. Glide Magazine hears an ambitious, melodic band at ease in the studio, praising the groove-heavy opener “Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want To Come” and its falsetto, harmonies, and singalong lift. PopMatters, by contrast, finds the song limp and the album's earnestness liable to tip into cringe. That split captures the critic consensus: musical assurance and emotional self-examination are present, but not every song turns them into compelling momentum.
For listeners searching for the best songs on Oh! The Ocean, the clearest individual endorsement goes to “The World's Not Out to Get Me, I Am,” which PopMatters calls the album's best track, pointing to its emotionally ambitious writing and endearing hook. Glide also highlights “Blood On The Hospital Floor” as an upbeat anthem, while describing “Kate Moss” as evidence of the band's wider range. With one review celebrating its warmth and another questioning its direction, Oh! The Ocean is most compelling when the Wombats' self-reflection meets a memorable melody; the full reviews below map that disagreement.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want To Come
Can't Say No
Blood On The Hospital Floor
Kate Moss
Gut-Punch
My Head Is Not My Friend
I Love America And She Hates Me
The World's Not Out To Get Me, I Am
Grim Reaper
Reality Is A Wild Ride
Swerve (101)
Lobster
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The Wombats sound like a band that has spent two decades building up to Oh! The Ocean, their most ambitious and melodic record yet. The best songs on Oh! The Ocean begin with the fantastic, groove-heavy opener “Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want To Come,” where Murphy switches in and out of falsetto with sweet backing harmonies. “Can't Say No” and “Blood On The Hospital Floor” are upbeat, sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs anthems, while “Kate Moss” shows a broader range of influences. The stop-and-smell-the-flowers approach is apparent, and the record feels built by a band comfortable in the studio and with each other.
Key Points
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The groove-heavy opener is the best song, pairing Murphy's falsetto with sweet backing harmonies.
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The album's core strengths are its melodic ambition, broader range of influences, and the ease of a band comfortable with each other.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Wombats sound chastened and occasionally interesting on Oh! The Ocean, but the record is often earnest to the point of cringe. The reviewer singles out “The World's Not Out to Get Me, I Am” as the album's best track, where the band finally sounds nourished enough to be emotionally ambitious, with metaphors and an oddly endearing hook. By contrast, “Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want To Come” and “Can’t Say No” are described in terse, cutting terms - limp and fizzled respectively - leaving the album uneven. The voice throughout is unsparing, admiring occasional risks yet skeptical that the Wombats will take their fans someplace worth going.
Key Points
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The World’s Not Out to Get Me, I Am is the emotional high point where the band finally sounds nourished and ambitious.
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The album’s core strengths are occasional lyrical ambition and willingness to strip back polish, but these are undermined by limp arrangements and unsettling indulgences.