Love Fame Tragedy
My Cheating Heart
Good Soldier Songs/AWAL Recordings
In a track that doesn’t differ much from his usual work as the frontman of The Wombats, Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy has released the first single from his side project Love Fame Tragedy. My Cheating Heart delves into the temptations of hedonistic excess and seems to be something of a self-indulgent release from Murph.
The track sounds very similar to tracks released on The Wombats’ most recent album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, and this is perhaps what a lot of fans will like about it, but if this is the case, why was a side project necessary? Murph insists that the tracks he’s making under this moniker don’t quite fit with the tone that The Wombats fans are used to, but don’t be surprised if you can’t see it.
Murph has said “It’s a song touching on excess and feelings I had when I first moved to the States. It was to do with status and how important status is in Los Angeles, San Francisco and California. The most objectifying lyric in it – the money, women, cars thing, which is probably the grossest line – is kind of what ties the whole thing together.” This idea of excess is definitely conveyed, but the “money, women, cars” line doesn’t exactly tie it together, it just feels like a exploitative addition, and is an unpleasant reminder of The Wombats track Girls/Fast Cars. Unfortunately, this is the only line that stands out, which is a shame considering Murph is generally an excellent songwriter.
My Cheating Heart seems strange and yet also smart as a debut solo song for Murph, as its similarities to his previous work will draw previous fans into his new work, but it also makes this side project seem a little unnecessary. It doesn’t seem quite up to the his usual standards, so let’s hope Love Fame Tragedy’s upcoming EP I Don’t Want To Play The Victim, But I’m Really Good At It (out September 13 and featuring Members of Pixies, Alt-J and Soundgarden) will bring some more exciting sounds and songwriting.
KIERRA POLLOCK
