Wet Leg – Wet Leg

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It’s already been quite the twelve months for Wet Leg. Since releasing their debut single, Chaise Longue last June, the band have rapidly been propelled into the limelight, going from a small, tiny venue playing band to now selling out venues of over 2,000 people before even so much as releasing a debut album, Wet Leg have found themselves now a household name. Less than a year after the release of Chaise Longue this week Wet Leg release their highly anticipated, debut, self-titled album.

The album opens with a short, snappy number, Being In Love seeing Wet Leg return triumphant. It is clear throughout Being In Love that the track is heavily inspired by shoegaze, driven by shimmery guitar-riffs that pair wonderfully with muted, minimalistic verses that merge together masterfully, creating what will be an explosively powerful track when played live.

Chaise Longue finds itself as the follow up to Being In Love with listening to it within its designated spot on the band’s album making it feel like an entirely new track. Chaise Longue garnered Wet Leg millions of streams over a single summer, with each TikTok the band make featuring Chaise Longue seeming to go even more viral than the one before it. Guitar-driven, filled to the brim with tongue-in-cheek lyricisms like “Is your muffin buttered? / Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?” which takes reference from the iconic-00’s film, Mean Girls, Chaise Longue is destined to remind fans of the joys of last summer, whilst feeling like a breath of fresh air to new listeners.

´I Don’t Wanna Go Out features optimistic instrumentation that becomes signature to Wet Leg, pairing that with lyrics that tell a brutally honest and relatable coming-of-age story about getting older and feeling lost without a true purpose, yet knowing that everybody is in the same situation, as Rhian Teasdale’s softly spoken lyrics tell the listener that “we’re all going to die”.

The album’s centrepiece, Convincing is a poetic number that sees guitarist Hester Chambers become a “lady in ruins”. Much softer than the tracks before it, Convincing offers a moment of reflection, written about downtimes faced by Chambers, that she didn’t find herself wanting to lift herself from quickly. A highlight from Wet Leg, the track is more folk influenced over some of its post-punk heavy peers.

Rhian Teasdale’s humour bursts throughout Ur Mum a quite sad reality is turned on its head to find itself full of sass and laughter. The true highlight of Ur Mum finds itself within the spoken word, where Rhian states that she’s been practising her longest, loudest scream then enabling that scream whilst the track finds itself moving into a place of hysteria. Ur Mum sees Wet Leg return to their post-punk corner, more powerful than ever.

Continuing with their break-up songs, Piece Of Shit is cathartic and sassy, a true joy to listen to. Feeling like both a middle finger and an eyeroll with the finger perfectly aimed at an ex. Seeing Wet Leg tear apart their exes, Piece Of Shit is an acoustic number that then comes to life within its chorus, allowing the band to compare their exes to, quite literally, a piece of shit.

Another gem, Supermarket is written about a close friend’s drug dealer throughout lockdowns and the pandemic. Named Supermarket after a string of offers sent by drug dealers with Buy One Get One Free! offers being exemplified, the track is playful and summery, and is certain to be a standout track within Wet Leg’s live shows.

Wet Leg’s debut sees them address the confusion of being a young adult getting to know themselves through witty, catchy songs filled with one-liners that could easily see the band go down the comedy avenue instead. An absolute all-rounder, Wet Leg are destined to feed hungry listeners with this release – and will even leave them hungry for more.

Composition
Lasting Appeal
Lyrics
Production

Listen on Apple Music

Katie Macbeth

katie macbeth

Katie Macbeth is a freelance music journalist for Indie Is Not A Genre based out of Manchester, presenter of @drunktankthink, and post punk enthusiast.



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