Album Review: Wet Leg – Moisturizer
3 min read
I’ve been looking forward to this album since… well… the last album!! For those who live in a cave, Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg burst onto the scene in 2022 with their self-titled Grammy‑winning debut album, and have returned for their latest LP Moisturizer, through the Domino Recording Company. Exploring themes of obsession and raw emotion, lead vocalist Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers return as part of a five‑piece, hopefully to evolve Wet Leg into confident, genre‑blurring innovators, retaining their witty, indie‑rock roots, of sharp song writing and a slew of cultural hat-tips. Let’s dive right in….
Kicking off with their second single release, CPR… and it’s s a banger! Simple in its construction, The bass rocks and the transitions are sublime, whilst Rhian’s vocals are largely an octave lower than in their debut album. How do you follow that? With Liquidize, that’s how!! Giving me massive Breeders or Pixies vibes (but not enough to feel like it’s a tribute track), the short track is a fantastic segue into Catch These Fists, their first single release. With a Mudhoney-sounding riff that you just cannot get out of your head and a chorus that propels the track along in a track that wouldn’t be out of place on Elastica’s iconic self-titled album. Davina McCall, the third single released, is up next, and it really shows the band’s range off – a slower tempo, with a feeling of a more early 00’s indie dreamy riffing, and as always, clever lyrics. Jennifer’s Body is a track about obsession, which (again) feels very Elastica-y, but still intrinsically Wet Leg, whilst Mangetout is another slower tempo (still a good tempo, mind) track, in the earlier Davina McCall vein, and of the same quality – the riffs at times feel Weezer-esque.
Pond Song kicks off the second half of the album with on point harmonies and a fantastic guitar bass combo – I’m sure the inspiration for the track at least leans in Beck’s direction. Pokemon up next in this great synth backed road trip song, where you can almost smell the ocean and practically hear the sound of the waves. Pillow Talk takes a heavier rock turn, with distortion on the guitars that almost makes me think of QOTSA, but Rhian’s lighter vocals give it a different vibe, whilst Don’t Speak is another track in a pixies mould – my first gripe of the album – the guitars drown out the vocals on this one. Penultimate track 11:21 is fantastically melancholy, with interesting descending chords and a real conviction in the vocal delivery – showing a completely different side to the band on the album… and it works superbly! Finally, we round off this fantastic album with the upbeat U and Me at Home – a great end to a great album.
Moisturizer is in my analogue sweet spot. As a millennial it feels comfortingly familiar, whilst remaining totally unique. It’s not re-inventing the wheel, but it is a repurposing of the 1990’s/2000’s indie wheel, and I, for one, am all for it. There are no weak tracks to be found, and as such it’s an obvious add to my downloaded album list. These guys could blow up on the back of this album, maybe even cracking the States if they put their minds to it – they can be that successful EASILY. Go and listen to this album immediately… and then listen to it again – I think this could be HUGE!!
