Start Listening To: Wombo

Wombo talk themes, songwriting, and being a part of Fire Talk Records in our interview with them, where they also hint at the influences and aspirations behind their upcoming music.

For those unfamiliar with your music can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

We’re from Louisville, Kentucky. Sydney does bass/vox, Cam plays guitar and Joel’s on drums. We make music that very much sounds like all 3 of our different styles/tastes. We feel like it’s unique and true to ourselves. We’re not trying to sound like anything in particular.

What is your songwriting process like?

It’s evolved since we first started. We’re more comfortable with each other and I think it shows in the way we can just jam and free-flow in the practice space. That’s usually how songs form for us these days.  We’ll grab onto a bass riff, guitar riff or even drum beat that sounds cool, start building on it, record voice memos and iterate from there. Melodies fall somewhere in the middle of forming it and lyrics are always dead ass last.

What was the production process like for your upcoming EP Keesh Mountain?

Keesh Mountain was recorded by our good friend Nick Roeder. Nick also mixed “Situations” and “Ida Mae.” Jonathan Schenke mixed “Dreamsickle” and “Just Like Time,” he also mastered the entire EP. We feel like it was a great combination and will probably continue with that production lineup for the next release. We’ve worked with Nick before and he has a good grasp of our sound. He’s based in Louisville at his studio Fresh Produce. It was our first time working with Jon, but he seemed to instantly pick up what we were trying to convey.

We love your new single ‘Situations’. Can you tell us more about the lyrics in this track?

‘Situations’ was one of those quickly formed songs, post punky and driving. The theme of the song was being determined to avoid a situation you’ll most likely have to face anyways.  

What are some themes from Keesh Mountain?

Each song is unique in its own theme. The songs fit together but they feel like b-sides in a way; they were all created at different time periods and didn’t feel like they went with our other projects, so it’s kinda like a set of songs we wanted to put out but didn’t feel like they had a home on our other full-lengths. ‘Ida Mae’ is about Sydney’s cat, ‘Dreamsickle’ is about the secrecy and loneliness of dreams, ‘Situations’ is about avoidance and ‘Just like Time’'s lyrics are made up of little autobiographical moments mostly from my childhood.

What’s it like working with Fire Talk Records?

Fire Talk is our first experience as a band on a label and so far it’s been fun and educational. The motivation and drive we have as a band was definitely furthered by being on Fire Talk. We especially love being a part of a label filled with so many hard working creative people and can’t wait to get to meet them all one day. We’ve only chilled via zoom. Shoutout Trevor, Ruby and Jon-Carlo!

Do you have any plans to perform live?

We have some plans in the works. We’ve got the itch after so long of a break. We just started working with Max at Overrun Booking which has been great. Hopefully we’ll have lots of cool stuff coming soon.

Are there any specific venues/festivals you’re keen to play one day?

Probably everywhere. Outdoor venues are cool. West Coast would be cool. Europe would be cool.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Sibylle Baier is one of my biggest influences. She is a folk artist but honestly so fucking metal, especially her lyrics. I have more but this is one of the hardest questions for me. I’m influenced by too many things/people to name.

What do you hate right now?

Everything.

What do you love right now?

I love free time. I love doing nothing.

Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?

This is gonna sound bad but I don’t listen to much new music. I can tell you I found this great album by and artist called TM404 called Syra. It came out in 2016, that’s kinda new, right? Dry Cleaning’s new album is great.

What else can we expect from you in 2021? Any more releases planned?           

This summer you can expect us to be in the studio recording our longest full-length to date. Also working on shows for the fall.

Do you have any final life lessons or tips for our readers?

Life lessons are hard to dish out. I don’t know. Be yourself. People can smell falseness. It’s good to have a good bullshit radar but it’s also good and fun to be full of shit all the time too.