Isle of White ‘bumpkin’ duo receive the highest of praise for their self-titled debut album: Wet Leg
Over the past nine months Wet Leg have released five singles in the run up to their debut album, with songs addressing issues such as gender equality, the existential dread of turning 30, and max extinction. The indie-pop-rock vibe they went for dominated the majority of their singles, and they have done it well, gaining almost 40 million streams. This left high expectations for their debut album. And it delivered.
The album takes a journey from its opening track ‘Being in Love’, a song very much their style, through to the already popular ‘Too Late Now’. One of the most important things for an artist to do is create definable music that is easily recognised,and with this album they have definitely done this. Even with the slightly more psychedelic ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’, and the slower Vocals in ‘Angelica’, it is obvious that Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers have created an album that will get Wet Leg onto the playlist of millions of gen-z-pop-punk-indie-rock fans across the world.
Debut albums are often the difference between the success and failure of artists and bands and Wet Leg’s debut album Wet Leg seems to be one that will bring them the successes they wished for. With big names publishing reviews of applaud just hours after its release, the Isle of White duo have definitely brought themselves to the fore-front of the pop-rock music surge seen within the past few years, with an album that will be, according to Far Out magazine, “era-defining”
Everyone who listened to their debut single ‘Chaise Longue’ probably all thought the same thing; something along the lines of “what is this?” The songs impassive delivery and lyrics didn’t at first win over critics and were described as “comical” with little chance of making it onto the airwaves. The duo managed to defy expectations and get the song onto the Spotify playlists of almost 13 million people.
There is very little comparison to be made with other artists, which is perhaps why as a duo they are so attractive. Though other British Bands such as Squid and Black Country, all seem to adopt the same acrobat basslines, post-punk guitars and speak-singing, Wet Leg seem to stray from any defining features of a genre. This is obvious when looking at the recently made playlist ‘Wetlegends’ they made public on Spotify in the days before their album release. Here we would expect to see their biggest influences, and to some extent we do. As expected we see indie-rock and a bit of country, but the variety on the playlist really explains some of the contrasts in their music and explains why some of the songs bring with them so many stylistic questions. From Ashniko, S club 7 and Dolly Parton to Big Thief, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Meatraffle it is obvious why Wet Leg’s music has so often been praised for its uniqueness.
Regardless, they have created a unique style and paired with their wit and guile; the music industry has been blessed with a band that will continue to defy genre.
Rating: 4/5
