Tag: Wet Leg

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Albums

Best albums of 2025: #4 Wet Leg “Moisturizer”

Honestly, I didn’t plan it this way at all. If you read the post on my fifth favourite of 2025, Suede’s “Antidepressants”, you might recall that their previous album, “Autofiction”, hit the same mark on my Best albums of 2022 list. Well, in a weird twist of fate, Wet Leg’s amazing self-titled debut was my number four album three years ago and now, their sophomore record “Moisturizer” is number four as well!*

As I wrote back in 2022, the duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers formed Wet Leg in 2019 after working on separate projects over the years on the Isle of Wight. That debut album was a massive hit for them, buoyed by several viral singles, successful tours, and garnered them a number of awards, including some Grammys. Obviously, I was not immune to the album and the band’s allure, excitement, and energy. In 2024, Wet Leg added touring musicans Henry Holmes, Josh Mobaraki and Ellis Durand as official bandmates, and set about writing music for a sophomore album as a quintet.

When I first sat down to “Moisturizer”, I did so fully expecting not to like it. It’s a rare thing that a band can successfully follow up an album that sees so much so success without the band buckling under the weight of so much expectation. It becomes even rarer and nay, almost an impossibility, when that successful album is their debut. Music history is chock full of examples of bands that spent their careers toiling in the tall shadow cast by their immense and in some cases, legendary debuts. In my own estimation, its less about the expectations and the need for the band to recapture the same magic than it as about the band not letting those things dictate their future and their direction.

The reason why “Moisturizer” is number four in 2025 is precisely because it is not the same album that was that number in 2022. Indeed, Wet Leg surprised me again. Perhaps it helped that Teasdale and Chambers included their three new bandmates in the songwriting process, perhaps it was the experience gained by the touring and performing in front of massive crowds, or perhaps it could be that they are even more talented than they hinted at with their debut. I don’t know. And I guess it really doesn’t matter. “Moisturizer” incredibly finds more energy and variation than the debut and strikes out from the band’s nearly obvious influences to find their own ground in which to take root.

You’ve more than likely heard one or more tracks from the album but if not, here are three picks for you to check out.

“Catch these fists”: “Some guy comes up says I’m his type. I just threw up in my mouth, when he just tried to ask me out.” Wow. Tell us how you really feel, Rhian. The first, advanced single to be released off the album is a kiss off to the unwanted attention young ladies can attract while out partying with friends on the dance floor. It’s a very real, universal tale. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, and Rhian’s obviously lived it. It definitely has a dance floor feel. Angular guitars, a bouncy bass line, rapid fire drumming with lots of fills, and fists in the air, punchy vocals. It feels by times playful and by times snarky and angry. I chose to believe it’s all in good fun but I definitely wouldn’t want to find myself on the wrong side of her, catching those fists. Best to keep on dancing in my own space.

“Mangetout”: “Good God, she took a break, made a mistake when she met Trevor. Get lost forever.” And the snarkiness continues. Our protagonists shift their focus to kissing off “Trevor”, who we are assured does not exist, but is an amalgam of many “Trevors”. The lyrics read like an angry tirade but the music they set them to, makes it a whole lot more fun. Loose and slack guitars, rumbling bass, laid side by side against a hopping drum beat, and man, such a joyous melody, vocals that beg to be by times crooned and by times shouted along with. Yeah, Teasdale uses all the weapons in her vocal arsenal here, no two lines sung in the same way, back to back. “Get lost forever!”

“U and me at home”: “Sometimes, I get so sad and my blue eyes fade to grey. You tell me it’s not so bad. You always know just what to say.” And now for something completely different. As antagonistic as my first two picks were, this one feels like sunshine and rainbows. A real love song. Domestic bliss and creature comforts. A frenetic drum beat starts the proceeding, followed by a bass line that feels pulled from The Breeders toolkit, and the vocals are relaxed and lovely, oh so chilled out. Then, suddenly the crunchy guitars are thrown in the mix and we know it’s a real party. A great upbeat way to close out the album. So good.

*Before you go back to check out the rest of that list in 2022, I’ll put to rest that this is where the coincidences stop.

We’ll be back shortly with album #3. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Snocaps “Snocaps”
9. Nation Of Language “Dance called memory”
8. Robert Ascroft “Echo still remains”
7. Doves “Constellations for the lonely”
6. Miki Berenyi Trio “Tripla”
5. Suede “Antidepressants”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

Categories
Albums

Best albums of 2022: #4 Wet Leg “Wet Leg”

I generally feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp on the comings and goings and new releases of music, especially when it comes to the alternative and indie realm, but I’m obvious not omniscient. Every once in a while, something slips through on first pass and “Wet Leg” is a perfect example of one of those parties to which I arrived unfashionably late. Indeed, I hadn’t heard of them at all until the week of their self-titled debut’s release and I started seeing tons of hype all over the music sites and pictures of the album’s cover and vinyl pressing on the various vinyl-loving pages I follow on Instagram.

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers are long-time friends who decided to form as a duo in 2019 after years of miring in relative solo musician obscurity on the Isle of Wight. They’ve given a handful of differing reasons as to why they settled on Wet Leg as a moniker but the version I believe or want to believe the most was as a constant reminder to not take themselves too seriously. They signed with Domino Records in late 2020 and recorded the aforementioned debut in the spring of 2021.

A couple of months after the album was finished, Wet Leg released the first advance single and really, their first ever single. And yeah, it went viral, racking up millions of streams in its first year. With the second single almost as successful, it was unsurprising that the music machine started to take notice. “Wet Leg” was finally released a year after it was recorded and was preceded by five singles in total. It debuted at #1 on the UK and Australian record charts and performed well in pretty much every major market. It was nominated for the UK’s Mercury Prize and for a handful of Grammys in the US.

The first time I streamed it, I did so with a dubious ear, but one that quickly melted to the glee that many other music fans have obviously experienced. There’s something universal in their sound, which is probably why I’ve seen them classified as everything from punk to post-punk, from garage rock to britpop, and from new wave to slacker rock. The duo is original and exciting, but given their quick ascent in popularity, they are already treading the fine line of darling and derision. All eyes and ears will be on whether they can properly follow this up but for now, we can appreciate the debut as pure fun and folly.

Indeed, there’s plenty to like here but there’s no arguing with the three singles I’ve picked for you to peruse, just in case you (as I almost did) have missed out on Wet Leg thus far.

“Too late now“: The third single and last track on the album has a rumbling bass line and chiming guitars that keep time with Teasdale’s shifty vocals. It feels at first like it’s got it all together, albeit insular and atmospheric, but little by little, its insecurity shows and by the end it’s a shambolic mess. “Down we go while holding hands. If I fuck this up, I’m taking you down with me.” It’s feedback and hammering drums and chaos and I really wouldn’t have it any other way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB3PJwPMHzQ

“Wet dream”: Working backward through their singles, track five reminds me a bit of Goat Girl, who were a surprise entry on my end of the year list last year. It’s a bass groove that flirts with Blondie and The Go-Go’s but is perhaps more overt in its sexuality and its refusal to play and accept its role. “What makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself?” But in spite of its knowing side glances and sly winks, it is at its heart, a great pop song and has the potential to fill dance floors everywhere.

“Chaise longue”: Here’s the big one. The ear worm. The song you want to hate but can’t help but love. You listen to it over and over and find yourself singing along to that damned repetitive chorus. “On the chaise longue, on the chaise longue, on the chaise longue. All day long, on the chaise longue.” Fast and frenetic and hyperventilating. One could almost imagine Justine Frischmann singing it with her band Elastica back in the mid 90s. It’s no wonder it’s gotten so much play.

We’ll be back after the holiday with album #3. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Blushing “Possessions”
9. Just Mustard “Heart under”
8. Jeanines “Don’t wait for a sign”
7. The Reds, Pinks and Purples “Summer at land’s end”
6. Tallies “Patina”
5. Suede “Autofiction”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

And finally, for those who celebrate, best wishes to you, your friends, and your families for a very merry Christmas.

Categories
Playlists

Playlist: New tunes from 2022, part two

Happy Sunday!

And welcome back to this little thing I do every three months, adding twenty five new tracks to a multiple part playlist that soundtracks each year as it passes. If you missed part one for the first three months of 2022, you can find it here.

This year’s first quarter was very much same-same, continuing the pandemic trend that I’ve been living for what seems like an eternity, but in contrast, the last three months have been anything but status quo. The Ontario government continued with its plans of reopening, the lifting of restrictions and mandates, and the people have been slowly dipping their toes back into society, yours truly, a little more slowly than most.

In May, we discovered a new meteorological term called ‘derecho’ firsthand. The fast moving cluster of storms tore a swathe through Ontario and Quebec, travelling more than 1000 km from Windsor to Quebec City in an afternoon and wreaking havoc* along the way. Personally, I didn’t see any damage to our own property and our power was only out for a mere fifty-two hours. I consider myself very lucky, given the other stories I’ve heard and the photos of damage that I’ve seen.

Then, at the end of June, I saw my  first piece of live music in more than two and a half years and as serendipity would have it, the first headlining band that I got to see was the same as the last that I saw before the start of the pandemic. Of course, I instantly remembered why I loved going to shows and got over my initial anxiety of hanging in the crowds again. Over the last week or so, I’ve made a handful of returns to the biggest local music festival, Ottawa Bluesfest, and I am intending on returning to the final night tonight. (The National! Yes!)

Of course, through all this, I’ve been doing my darnedest to keep up with all the new releases and finding my favourites amongst those. So without further ado, I’ll present twenty five new tunes that have helped keep me going over the second three months of 2022. Highlights include:

      • I’ve heard many say that the new album by Spiritualized is the best thing Jason Pierce has done since his 1997 album, “Ladies & gentlemen we are floating in space”… well… “Always together with you” sounds like a sequel to the title track off that iconic album
      • At one minute and twenty-four seconds, “Who’s in the dark” by Jeanines is a pop gem that feels way too short, but fortunately/unfortunately, that’s this band’s M.O.
      • “Tap” is an apt name for this mellow, toe-tapping indie folk ear worm by Tomberlin
      • I couldn’t help myself but include both parts of “The lightning” by Arcade Fire because they fit so nicely and juxtaposed against each, they feel like a perfect revisit to their early days
      • “Toast” is just pure fun bedroom pop by Fanclubwallet, a young artist who is apparently local, living right here in Ottawa
      • Just Mustard is haunting and harrowing on “23”, sounding not a little like the gothic dream pop of 90s rockers, Cranes
      • With its ominous bassline and frittering synth washes, “Shotgun, the advance single off Soccer Mommy‘s third album makes for a great outro

Here is the entire playlist as I’ve created it:

1. “Rubberneckers” Christian Lee Hutson (from the album Quitters)

2. “Be by your side” Pillow Queens (from the album Leave the light on)

3. “Ur mom” Wet Leg (from the album Wet Leg)

4. “Always together with you” Spiritualized (from the album Everything was beautiful)

5. “Louis” Charlotte Rose Benjamin (from the album Dreamtina)

6. “Who’s in the dark” Jeanines (from the album Don’t wait for a sign)

7. “Looking backward” Melody’s Echo Chamber (from the album Emotional eternal)

8. “Messy roomz” Frontperson (from the album Parade)

9. “Hall of mirrors” Let’s Eat Grandma (from the album Two ribbons)

10. “Tap” Tomberlin (from the album I don’t know who needs to hear this)

11. “Nervous breakdown” Pink Mountaintops (from the album Peacock Pools)

12. “The lightning I & II” Arcade Fire (from the album WE)

13. “Mistakes” Sharon Van Etten (from the album We’ve been going about this all wrong)

14. “Young and stupid” Belle and Sebastian (from the album A bit of previous)

15. “You will never work in television again” The Smile (from the album A light for attracting attention)

16. “The amarillo kid” Craig Finn (from the album A legacy of rentals)

17. “U can be happy if U want to” Porridge Radio (from the album Waterslide, diving board, ladder to the sky)

18. “Toast” Fanclubwallet (from the album You have got to be kidding me)

19. “Wow” Tess Parks (from the album And those who were seen dancing)

20. “Bad love” Dehd (from the album Blue skies)

21. “Pretenders” Stars (from the album From Capelton Hill)

22. “23” Just Mustard (from the album Heart under)

23. “All the flowers” Angel Olsen (from the album Big time)

24. “Anti-glory” Horsegirl (from the album Versions of modern performance)

25. “Shotgun” Soccer Mommy (from the album Sometimes, forever)

Those of you who are on the Apple Music train can click here to sample the above tracks as a whole playlist.

And as always, wherever you are in the world, I hope you are safe and continue to be well. Above all, enjoy the tunes.

*The photo for this playlist’s cover is one that I took of a couple of gigantic trees that were torn up by their roots at the end of my street.

If you’re interested in checking out any of the other playlists I’ve created and shared on these pages, you can peruse them here.