Wet Leg Dominates the Conversation and With Good Reason
The hype behind Wet Leg’s debut album has been at a fever pitch. Now that the album is here, the question is…does it live up to the hype?
Short answer? Yep.
Wet Leg, a British indie pop duo, burst on to the scene with their viral hit Chaise Longue last year. The post-punk viral hit featuring a line from Mean Girls was a bit divisive, with some dismissing the repetitive hit, while most were intrigued by the catchy tune.
Wet Dream another infectious, melodic tune followed, setting the band up to have to deliver on their first long play. And deliver they did.
It’s interesting that this band makes such a big sound and big impact with just two people. The songs that populate their self-titled debut LP are short, punchy, catchy and FUN. And I think that is what the hype is all about. This is fun music, that is expertly crafted and delivered. The songs are short, but not without substance.
There is a certain deadpan delivery to the lyrics and melodies. The beats are repetitive and driving as if each song was specifically designed to cause you to bop your head and sing along. The sing songy nature of the songs is a little repetitive, but by the time it gets to be too much the song is over and you’re on to the next earworm. The vocals are good, the musicianship is solid and you just want to listen over and over again.
There are surprises everywhere. The 30 second scream near the end of Ur Mum. The sincerity of songs like Piece of Shit and loving you. The guitar, bass, drums, synths, and other instrumentation come together cleanly and the production is top notch.
Wet Leg continues a tradition of being basically an homage to the music of the 90’s. Songs like Angelica and Supermarket are sufficiently British, quirky, interesting, weird, reminiscent of bands like Blur and Lush. That said, the album is fresh, modern and innovative. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with this band. With Phoebe Bridgers and Japanese Breakfast nominated in big Grammy categories in recent years (and unfortunately losing) Wet Leg may be the indie band to take home the gold.
This album is good enough to have legs, and should be an excellent album to jam to all summer long. We’re fans. Check it out.
