Wet Leg’s Debut Album is an Instant Classic

The quirky British duo, Wet Leg, has finally released their debut, self-titled album. From debuting the relentlessly catchy ‘Chaise Lounge’ about a year ago, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers have stolen hearts across the world. Starting a band, just for fun on top of a ferris wheel, the two friends have written silly songs that they have stated have little meaning but are addicting.

They have embraced everything that is indie rock, slowly releasing five singles this past year attracting fans, so much radio play, sold-out tours, and festival spots.

Now the heavily anticipated album is here, filled with sarcastic lyrics, and delivers notes of post-punk, new wave, and riot grrrl that make this album an instant classic. The honest “kiss-off” energy is apparent throughout the whole album since the whole thing was written before their smash hit ‘Chaise Lounge’ was released. Teasdale told Rolling Stone in an interview “there’s nothing self-conscious about it, just a couple of bored friends making a racket to crack up each other and piss off the world”. It’s just like teen girl sleepover talk.

The five singles however are the highlights of the album, but there is still not a track that I would skip. The opener ‘Being In Love’, has lyrics comparing love with being punched in the face and having no motivation. That is just the beginning of the two singing about male lameness and sexual polistics. With other tracks like the famous ‘Wet Dream’, ‘Ur Mum’ and ‘Loving You’ the snarky lyrics give takes on the messy parts of love (literally) and rip an ex to shreds with lyrics like “When I think about what you’ve become / I feel sorry for ur mum”, “You say you think about me in the midnight hour / I know that you’re just rubbing one out up in the shower”, and a really nice long and loud scream. Another, ‘Piece of Shit’ stands out here, disguised as a funny 'diss' song but really is a reflection on misogyny, comparing cruel acts men could get away with but a woman could never.

Aside from the hatred towards exes, men and dating apps, there is also a hatred towards the social scene, parties and social media. Several songs of the album, such as ‘Angelica’ and ‘Supermarket’, discuss the parallel of not enjoying the party scene but not wanting to miss out on a good time. The banger ‘Oh no’ is an honest single of “doom-scrolling”, and ‘Too Late Now’ spits self-care in the face with the hilarious lyrics “I just need a bubble bath to set me on a higher path”. The standout on this anti-social side of the album is ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’ but that might just be because of the riff from David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’.

The sound these girls deliver is timeless, if you dropped them in the 90s they would fit right into the scene with Sleater-Kinney or Pulp, and if they were dropped in the 2000s they would give Franz Ferdniand a run for their money with their classic Britpop rhythms. 

This duo, this album is everything the world has been starving for. Teasdale and Chambers even find it odd that they have become so famous so fast but that only goes to prove that the world has been craving a band like this, a group that made their own formula with the post-punk, almost Pavement styled guitars with sneering, sarcastic one-liners about love, sex and revenge. The two women, armed with guitars, come off fierce, cool, funny and unapologetic with their lyrics. They’re just a couple of girls who hate dating, parties and social media but are chasing a good time. I think that’s really where the appeal comes from: the lyrics that make you laugh but are also somehow relatable? It’s perfect for your girls night playlist, whether you’re dancing or screaming.

Hope Orr

@hope_koala

Image: ‘Wet Leg’ Official Album Cover