Wet Leg Rises from the “Chaise Longue” to Make Debut Album

By Adora Brown

Wet Leg released their self-titled debut album last Friday, April 8, with Wet Leg, a twelve-song ode to heartache, introversion, and disappointment. 

The band comprises British besties Rhian Teasdale (she/her) and Hester Chambers (she/her), who founded the indie rock group in 2019 after ten years of friendship. The duo found success two years later with the release of their first single “Chaise Longue,” an eccentric tune with catchy lyrics. 

The album Wet Leg culminates much of the band’s inner turmoil surrounding relationships and love without the typical melancholy tone of heartbreak songs. Instead, Teasdale and Chambers implore their listeners to reject traditional breakup culture and society’s obsession with love. 

The album opens with “Being in Love” getting straight to the point with lyrics like, “I feel like someone has punched me in the guts / But I kinda like it ‘cause it feels like being in love.” The duo echoes “being in love” with a high-pitched, mocking “la-la-la” throughout the chorus, the lyrical embodiment of pointing and laughing. 

They follow with their hit single “Chaise Longue,” with catchy lyrics and beach-like guitar riffs to draw listeners in. Much of the song feels like a conversation between the two artists as they drown in the lurching waters of bad party scenes. The following track “Angelica” takes on a similar tone, with lyrics about socializing in L.A. The raging guitar in the background overtakes the chorus of “Good times, all the time” as the singers are forced to interact with repetitive, party-going caricatures.“I Don’t Want to Go Out” echoes much of the antisocial sentiment of “Angelica” with the lines, “And now I’m almost 28, still getting off my stupid face / Fucking nightmare / I know I should care.” Its slow bridge mocks the classic move to L.A. to kickstart a band.

“Wet Dream” tackles the obscene sexualization of women. Wet Leg sings, “I was in your wet dream / Driving in my car / What makes you think you’re good enough / To think about me when you’re touching yourself?” Although the duo seems to be wielding control over the situation, the narrative quickly spirals as the song progresses, reaching a shocking level of lewdness. The startling lines deliver a punch about the nature of control, even in the male dreamscape.

“Convincing” discusses a relationship gone wrong, while “Loving You” shifts from melancholy to angry in just a few lines. Teasdale and Chambers sing, “I don’t wanna meet your girlfriend / Hope you choke on your girlfriend.” The song offers no false pretenses of friendship or comradery after a break-up, a brutal honesty echoed in much of the duo’s work. 

“Ur Mum” is one of the strongest tracks on the album, employing an early 2000s style that blends with their playful, indie rock sound. The singers move on from a man who is deemed a lost cause, no longer inspiring or motivating the artists. Despite the relatively calm tone at the beginning of the song, the duo interrupts with what they deem their “longest and loudest scream.” The song’s lighter tone is a welcome addition to the band’s discography. Plus, when asked what you are listening to, you can answer “Ur Mum.”

“Oh No” follows a uniform progression while building layers of vocals and new instruments. The song diverts from the deeper meanings of the previous tunes, choosing instead to take on mundane topics like mindless scrolling, “wokeness,” and the silence of 3 a.m. “Piece of Shit” is about the heartbreak of being cheated on. Wet Leg continues to assert their satirical attitude with funny lyrics that do not negate the singers as simply being heartbroken. The duo harmonizes on the line, “Like a piece of shit you either sink or swim.” “Supermarket” takes a more youthful spin following the childish blunders of stoned grocery shopping, and even a trippy meet-the-parents gone wrong. 

The album concludes with “Too Late Now,” which arguably possesses a far more pensive tone than the rest of Wet Leg’s releases. The song quickly picks up in a rant-style of lyricism that resembles a panic attack. The cyclical lyrics send the listener down a rabbit hole of self-doubt only ratified by the duo’s need for a bubble bath to “send [them] on a higher path.” 

Wet Leg’s first album is certainly worth a listen, although some songs say more than others. The duo has established a unique sound for themselves with their debut album that will hopefully permeate the rest of their music career.