The Wombats/Ottawa

The Wombats' latest album, Glitterbug, takes a noticeably different approach compared to earlier albums. Instead of strumming out goofball punk rock rhythms like 2007’s A Guide To Love, Loss, and Desperation and 2011’s This Modern Glitch, the band has toned down the silliness. The new stuff still offers danceable pop rock, just without the humor, off-kilter song covers or kitschy album artwork. “Glitterbug is how we should sound,” says drummer Dan Haggis. “We’ve got a good starting point moving forward. We haven’t really thought about the next album or how it’s going to sound but we’re happy with Glitterbug so if it continues in that vein, we’ll be happy.” (Anne Nickoloff)