The Earworm: Wet Leg
Reviewed by Caitlin Reardon
(Dominio, 2022; Listen Here)
When you're young, adults often warn you against coloring outside of the lines. Why adults are so concerned with where a child’s Crayon goes on paper, I’m not sure I understand. However, since childhood, many older folks attempt to preach the idea of conventionality, perfection, and normalcy. But why should creativity be limited to the printed lines of some random coloring book? We should in fact celebrate the messy, sporadic strokes that span any boundary.
Wet Leg, a female British duo is coloring outside of the lines and people have taken notice. The indie pair, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, began their music journey in 2019, releasing their debut album this past April. Already, the two have accumulated over two and a half million listeners on Spotify. My uncle Mike suggested I listen to their newest record and I am very glad he did. This new age indie the two produce is crunchy, quippy, and bizarre, to say the least. Yet this atypical style of theirs is what draws me, and other listeners I presume, to them.
Their music is so foreign to others, in fact, that the band receives much hate on social media. TikTok in particular. An overwhelming amount of comments are negative.
“Dish water music,” one commenter says. What does that even mean?
“Lord the music industry is struggling,” another says.
Sure, Wet Leg is most certainly an acquired taste and I will not deny that. But music is about discovering the different ways in which we create sound to reach an audience, however weird it may be. I also can’t help but think that much of this hate would not be present if the two musicians weren’t female, but that’s another issue that I will leave up to these commenters’ therapists.
What I love about Wet Leg’s sound is how bold it is. They pack a punch, emanating a more punk subset of indie. Their self-titled debut makes quite the impression, holding firmly to quick tracks that expel angsty guitar overlaps and satirical lyrics. Not oversaturated with synthesizers or other typical alternative and indie garnishes, the band allows that old school indie rock to come through without all the bells and whistles. The quality is clean and audacious while still producing a homemade sound, fueling the record with character.
Off to a very alternative start from track one, “Being In Love” is a punky speak-sing vibe that poses quite the contrast in lyrical, melodious and tonal ways. Teasdale speaks of fatigue, comparing this drained state to being in love. Her soft voice, synonymous to that of Melody’s Echo Chamber, is vastly different from the instrumental sound they produce - that of Courtney Barnett’s commanding tenor. Incorporating a metallic, concentrated synth along with the hard hitting electric guitar and percussion, the independence from much of the cookie-cutter indie is admirable.
The next track, “Chaise Lounge,” has been taking the brunt of social media cynics’ wrath. The song is utterly bizarre. Kicking off with an energetic bass, its quirky spoken narration is what drives this weirdness: “Is your muffin buttered? Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?” Teasdale’s pace is methodically enchanting, rhythmically speaking with both an urgency and poise. The chorus amps up with layering of guitar parts and vocal patterns that coincide with the overall instrumentation. The band seems to take on a more formulaic approach to writing their songs as each track follows a general outline of the one before. While this can be repetitive, and sometimes feels as so, within this blueprint of Wet Leg you begin to notice the various distinctions hidden in the gradient of their works.
“Angelica” is a standout favorite of the record. A playful guitar riff reminiscent of surf rock’s bounciness adds such character to the track while spicing it up with the condensed trail of a more indie rock guitar part. Narrating the tale of a girl who thrives at parties, Teasdale feels on the contrary. The breakdown of the song creates an ethereal quality, then it picks up again to further advance the characterization of Angelica. The song’s upbeatness is matched with a heavy punk tone, highlighting how neither are mutually exclusive. Combining that formulaic vocal pattern with the rhythmic instrumentals, Wet Leg plays around with “Angelica” a bit more, letting loose and having fun while carrying their signature sadistic approach.
Slowing the pace down a bit, “I Don’t Wanna Go Out” cohesively rolls into a mellow state. Straying from the usual key that Wet Leg is sometimes prone to, they begin to venture away from the formula. While stripping back for a quite simple instrumentation, the two still do not let up on their grunginess. I like how natural Teasdale and Chambers’s musical intuition is as shown here. Wanting to slow things down for a couple minutes is never a bad idea, it actually lets your listeners get a chance to breathe for a second. You can still achieve a punk feel that you aim for. But, it seems that the band does not like to diminish the energy for too long as they accelerate once again shortly.
The record moves into a breakup theme hereafter. Spoken from the lens of a very blatant, tells-it-like-it-is perspective, Teasdale and Chambers’s confidence is most admirable. This is shown not only through the lyrics themselves, but the proactive percussion, electrifying synths and stark power that they exude.
“Loving You” and “Ur Mum” are two tracks that abundantly prove this theory. The angst, sadness and confusion of a breakup is captured by a steady beat and the emotion that builds through the channels of blissful vocals in “Loving You.” First reminiscent of the good times, there is a dreamlike quality that mists over. But as Teasdale reminds herself of the bad times, she regains her strength and the music transitions as such. Small strums and a subtle beat culminate in victory of the self.
Contrastingly, “Ur Mum” flips the switch and builds like a dramatic cacophony. The duo combines the more heavy guitars with percussion drowned in symbols. “You just don’t motivate me,” Teasdale sings about her former partner. From here, Teasdale talks about her frustration with this person. Literally warning us listeners that she is going to scream, she counts down and lets out her most angered, high-pitched cry. While it is comical, it genuinely captures how tired of the world women feel.
Infusing the record with that comedy aspect again, “Supermarket” is a playful tune about going to the supermarket high. The hint of acoustic guitar is a fresh change in pace as well as Teasdale’s vocals traipsing from high to low like a yodel. Building up, the playfulness explodes when Teasdale and her friends shout about the “buy one get one free” deals, replicating a tangible silliness. The band stacks up higher and higher with notes and the backing vocals that carry such eagerness, translating the excitement to the listeners.
What I was so impressed by was Wet Leg’s ability to abstractly express how the world disappoints women. Teasdale and Chambers’s writing illustrates just how and why they're frustrated. But, taken from an approach of sarcasm and lightheartedness, the record feels relatable and witty. While the lyrics are sometimes a bit out there, meaning it could take more effort on the listener’s end, the band shows us deep vignettes of an apathetic life - at the fault of others around you. Their execution of indie rock is one of confident instrumentation and vocality, standing as a pillar for brashness and grit in your own self, even if you have yet to figure out who you truly are. You, as a listener, can take it or leave it - and Teasdale and Chambers won’t care what you choose. Wet Leg will still be coloring outside of the lines.
Caitlin Reardon is from Southampton, MA and is currently a journalism major at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Since she was little, Caitlin loved to write and developed a passion for it. Her parents instilled in her from a very young age the importance of music and its uniqueness. Intertwining her love for music with writing, she found a knack for music reviewing through The Daily Collegian where you can find some of her published journalistic works in news and arts. She is very excited to expand her platform to Overheard with The Earworm and is open to article requests on particular albums. You can reach her at caitlinreard@umass.edu or on Twitter @caitlinjreardon.
