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Hi Sorry State readers! So this week I felt compelled to write about the Wet Leg release. I was initially very intrigued and confused by the hype surrounding it. I couldn’t help but notice that people across different demographics with very different music tastes were touting this album all over Instagram. Not to mention, Wet Leg had already been gaining commercial recognition as a front runner in the UK billboard race.
And I gotta say, I really like it. Wet Leg S/T is a bratty, humorous guitar pop album with catchy hooks, and riffs and fuzz reminiscent of indie rock’s past. It also feels retro at times. It’s not super groundbreaking, but it’s super fun.
I’m really into riot grrrl type shit, and Wet Leg isn’t that, but it still has enough edge to keep me engaged. The confidence with which they deliver their lines is pretty infectious. It’s probably the Gemini in me, but I’m attracted to the unapologetic emotional confusion present in the songwriting. It’s like telling someone “fuck you! I hate you!” but motioning for them to call you later.
And given that it’s an indie album, you’re for sure getting some “adulting is hard” content, whether it’s sincere or making fun of the young millennial stereotypes. You hear this in the lines “I went home all alone. Checked my phone. Oh no. Oh my God. Life is hard. Credit card. Oh no. You’re so woke. Diet Coke.” Yeah, it’s silly, but it’s still funny and pretty on point.
I will say that the album’s tempo can be a little samesy in the first half of the album, but there are a couple gentler, wispier ballads toward the latter half to break things up. Personally, I happen to like an album that you can depend on to keep the same high energy, and won’t just abruptly bring you down just as you’re gaining the momentum to do things.
Chaise Longue is the big hit on the album but check out Angelica, Loving You, and Piece of Shit. Songs like these may help to ensure that Wet Leg isn’t buried in the one hit wonder graveyard anytime in the near future.
So again, why is this album, in a sea of indie releases, getting so much attention? The best that I can come up with is that it’s not just a fun album. It’s a fun album that just happened to come along at the right time, and timing really is everything.
Link to one of my faves (Angelica), the fourth single from Wet Leg: