Call the police, Wet Leg are in love! Oh wait, they already have, never mind! Their 2022 self-titled, Grammy winning album read like a note to shitty men but Moisturizer is a love letter. We’re introduced to some new bandmates, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chamber are joined by Ellis Durand on bass, Henry Homes on drums and Josh Mobaraki playing guitar and synth. Since we last saw them, Teasdale has been in an evidently happy relationship, meeting her partner after their first international gig in Portugal in 2023. We get to hear the soppier side to them, along with a pleather of cultural references backed by their signature indie sound.
Playful as ever, the first track, CPR opens with a fuzzy, growling bass line, Teasdale displays her vocal range with her playful ‘horror’ voice ‘if you’re a ghost, then oh my God, oh you give me the chills!’ followed by a hollow – bone like guitar scale that the Scooby Doo gang would be proud of. The track expresses how love can sometimes feel like a sacrifice of self ‘Is this love, or suicide?’ but also has the ‘tough girl’ attitude of their previous album. This theme continued in the next track, ‘liquidized’ asking themselves ‘the fuck am I doing?’ feels self-aware that their lyrics are out of character compared to the previous sucker punch of Wet Leg.
They return to their roots in ‘catch these fists’, based on being approached and receiving unwanted male attention at a bar after a Chappel Roan gig when they ‘just wanna dance with their friends’. Starting with a typical but catchy Wet Leg guitar riff, it worked so well with ‘Chaise Longue’ why fix what isn’t broke? It’s a megaphone for the female experience with playful harmonies and a kick-arse attitude, ‘man down’!
Seen above – Wet Leg live at Electric Ballroom, Camden 17/07/25.
When I heard the last single from the album was named after British TV presenter Davina McCall, I didn’t know what to expect, it but definitely wasn’t the soft, sweet tune that we received. The reference comes from McCall’s iconic line while presenting Big Brother ‘I’m coming to get you.’ It portrays a very relaxed, and very British ‘Sipping on Ribena, fuck that Coca-Cola’ kind of love that’s all-encompassing ‘I will hold you tighter than a Python’. They also give Shakira’s ‘Whenever, Wherever’ an honourable mention to express undying loyalty. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is more sweet declarations of love and yet another cultural reference, ‘pond song’ is much the same, it’s that the songs are bad, they are just a tad samey, I love, love, but its almost like talking to a friend whose just entered a new relationship and its all they can talk about, no matter how you try to divert the subject.
‘mangetout’ is a strange song, the music is very relaxed and dreamy, juxtaposed by the topic and the way the lyrics are sung, the emphasis on ‘a’ and ‘er’ sounds at the ends of phases is piercing and the entire song is an out and out insult ‘you’re washed up, irrelevant and standing in my light’ despite it all, it’s works in the way that it keeps the song interesting, perks your ears up.
‘pokemon’ is full of bright synth that lifts the mood, it could easily be a road trip song, even without the lyrics ‘I wanna go for a drive’ at again showcases the variety of Teasdale’s vocals and makes for a lively song-along.
In contrast, ‘pillow talk’ switches the script and is about what the title suggests, it’s again a reminder of previous tracks like ‘Wet Dream’ but take it up a notch. The guitar comes in with a more Metal sound that is completely individual within the album, growing heavier for the chorus. It’s smutty and lusty ‘I can make you sticky, make you hot, screaming for after sun // make you beg, make you wet like an aquarium.’ The rolling streams of desire brings to mind ‘The Bad Touch’ by Bloodhound, but more serious, it has to be my favourite track purely for the music.
The last three tracks revert back to pre- ‘pillow talk’, although ‘don’t speak’ is mixed so that the singing is set back into the rest of the track, almost creating a whisper effect, the guitar solo is a nice touch but nothing ground breaking, although this is to be expected seeing as they aren’t a Rock band. I really enjoy the long, drawn-out high notes followed by more contralto phrases in ‘11:21’ it’s very reminiscent of Kate Bush, it’s a beautiful song and it would have made a good closer but we have one more to send as a send off ‘u and me at home’ brings the tempo up again and is a warm and cosy way to end but nothing in particular stands out to me aside from a more interesting guitar solo compared ‘don’t speak’.
Overall, the band is tight and sounds great but bar a few tracks it feels a bit samey, the vocals are the stand out but there’s nothing wrong with that, they’re created their sound and it works for them. I was pleasantly surprised that there was so much vocal range that we hadn’t heard in their first album and with the subtle touches of heavier influences, I’m interested to see if they leave their comfort zone more often in future albums.