There hasn’t been a debut rock record anticipated as hotly as Wet Leg’s debut in over 20 years. I haven’t seen this kind of prerelease hype since The Strokes’ monster debut Is This It.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s taken a LONG time to hit shelves: “Chaise Longue,” their infectious debut single, landed in our laps 10 months ago! (Don’t forget that I had the honor of interviewing lead singer Rhian Teasdale back in September.)
In contrast, when this single dropped, there was no Delta variant, let alone multiple Omicron variants, we still had all three original members of ZZ Top, and there wasn’t a game show where people had to guess whether something was a cake.
Well, April 8 is the day that we finally get to enjoy the first full-length recorded document of Wet Leg. And, yes, I’ve heard it. It’s great. I took extensive notes, and my nerdy, rock critic brain really wanted to call out the influences that I found.
There were moments when I first listened that I heard Art Brut, Elastica, Hole, Team Dresch, Blur, etc. Yet I don’t think any of these bands are bands that Wet Leg has spent serious time listening to. Instead, we have what might be the single most honest and pure rock record in decades, an album where each song sounds like it’s not trying to be anything other than exactly what the songwriter is feeling.
The opening number, “Being in Love,” is a jittery, anxious cut. Despite the title, it’s not a love song. It’s a song about the comfort of anxiety. HOLY SHIT! A SONG ABOUT THE COMFORT OF ANXIETY!
Who is even brave enough to address that subject, let alone open your first statement to the world with that very idea. Any fears that the “Chaise Longue” band was just a novelty act were quickly erased by the potency of that number.
Other highlights include “Angelica,” a song with a surprising number of dramatic shifts that are so vivid that I think I’d recognize Angelica if she were in the room. “I Don’t Want To Go Out,” with its subtle nod to “The Man Who Sold the World” is more than an homage to the ‘90s. I’m pretty Angela Chase actually put it on a mixtape that she made for Jordan Catalano.
“Convincing,” the only song that guitarist Hester Chambers sings lead on, might be the most surprising track on a record of surprising tracks, the most 4AD-feeling song since the label’s heyday.
“Piece of Shit,” one of only two instances of acoustic guitar on the whole record, is an impressive analysis of the dimensions and power struggle of both sides of a couple’s argument.
Debut records like this one are a rare occurrence. A record hasn’t spoken to me like this in many, many years. It’s a beautiful, honest body of work unlike anything out there. It will be a rite of passage for generations to come.
Also, the video to “Ur Mum” is pretty fantastic:
