Wet
Leg seem to have sprung up out of nowhere. This time last year they hadn’t
released a single song, and yet fast-forward several months and they are
starting to make some real waves throughout the music world. I must confess
that I only heard of them myself for the first time a few months ago, but I –
like many others – have since become hooked, eagerly awaiting each and every new
single. The duo, made up of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, released their self-titled
debut album last week.
The
track ‘Being In Love’ introduces the album, with the vocals beginning on the
very first beat, and the chorus entering after fewer than 20 seconds. With a track
length of 2 minutes, this song aims to demonstrate immediately what Wet Leg are
about. There’s limited instrumentation too – both in quantity and range, and Teasdale’s
vocals are similarly restrained in the manner that she’s become known for.
Everything about this track shows that you don't need much to create a great
sound. Following this is ‘Chaise Longue’, their debut single and best-known
song that came out last summer. Reminiscent of acts like Sleater Kinney –
particularly in the guitarwork – Wet Leg could have fitted in easily with the
riot grrrl movement of the ’90s. And of course, the song features its notoriously
witty lyrics, laden with trademark innuendo. Next up, layers of reverb give ‘Angelica’
rather a nostalgic feel, sounding retro whilst not exactly clear what for.
There’s quite a difference with this one in that there’s so many different
parts texturally, with countless subtle elements throughout that one can pick
up on with each new listen. But it’s also one of the most dancey on the record.
‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’ is texturally quite impressive too. Whilst
there aren’t as many layers, it’s all been produced to sound so full –
especially in the chorus – and somehow ends up sounding both sparse and dense
at the same time. Every part can be heard clearly and is exactly where it
should be; and the melodies are just lovely. The suggestive lyrics return for ‘Wet
Dream’, a lot more blatantly this time around – for a track which is without
doubt one of the album’s highlights. The second single released, there are some
great guitar lines backing up the chorus too, and the vocals are so so catchy.
We then have some introductory minor chords underscoring ‘Convincing’,
providing a good level of mystery and intrigue. There’s a very poppy chorus,
with some ’60s-style backing vocals. Ultimately, this song isn’t going to remain
as memorable as some of the others, but on this album that will of course be rather
a hard job.
After this is ‘Loving You’, which with it’s incredibly smooth
bassline carries elements of R&B. One of the standout elements to this
track is undoubtedly Teasdale’s vocals, which – whilst usually fairly
restrained – here demonstrate clearly just how talented she actually is.
Arguably the best of the non-singles, it’s beautiful. Released just a few days
ahead of the album, ‘Ur Mum’ is then another of their best tracks – a highlight
on an album of highlights. Endlessly catchy and dancey, they’ve managed to
include multiple fantastic hooks into one song. And the lyrics are great fun
too. Following this is ‘Oh No’ – an unusual choice for a single, which although
it’s since grown on me, I wasn’t so keen the first time I heard it. The verses
seem to deliberately eschew any sort of melody whatsoever, although there is a
great guitar line that follows each one; and the breakdown halfway through the
song is handled very well. This is certainly a bit of an experimental one, so
even if it hasn't hit the mark perfectly, I'm glad to have something a little more unusual and different.
‘Piece Of Shit’ then starts off fairly acoustic, which really
highlights the contrast in the few unexpected 8-bit elements that emerge. After
a short while an electric guitar enters with its own expressive melody. This is
quite a short song in total, but it makes up for its length with the quality of
its songwriting. We then have ‘Supermarket’, a fairly slow, 'end-of-the-night'
style song featuring a big singalong that I’ll bet will go down very well at
their shows. There’s an interesting and rather effective effect used in the
mix, in which most of this song is EQ’d down quite low, forcing the few high
parts to really stand out. A nice touch. And then the album concludes with ‘Too
Late Now’ – another track that’s definitely one of the best. With its spacey,
dreamlike elements – like the rest of the album, the production is superb – and
there are many parts one can pick up on throughout that clearly demonstrate
this. It’s such a genuinely lovely song, and an important message of self-acceptance
to leave on as well.
I’m very very glad to have discovered Wet Leg, and I will continue
to follow their career. It’s not common for an album – especially a debut album
– to have at least half its songs be of absolutely excellent quality; and the
remainder are all great here too – there isn’t a single
miss. The best thing about this release though is simply the approach of the
performers – they have embraced their own eccentricities, and the result is a
truly unique sound. There are obvious parallels that are going to be drawn to
the riot grrrl movement, but they are also bringing in their own contemporary
elements as well. If this is the standard of music that we can expect from the
2020s, then we are living through a brilliant era.
