WET LEG
MOISTURIZER
This is their sophomore follow-up to their self-titled debut Album for this Isle of Wight 5 piece band.
Artist: Wet Leg
Release date: July 11th, 2025
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Length: 38 Minutes, 12 Tracks
Joe's Overall thoughts: Wet Leg has quickly become one of my new favorite bands, with arguably one of the best debut albums ever. It is standard on repeat fair for me, even 3 years later. So, needless to say, I tried everything I could to temper my expectations for their sophomore effort despite the utter giddy anticipation in which my impatient resolve won out more and more as the day got closer, and a single here and single there would drop. Once it fully started spinning though, I couldn't help but be immersed all over again. Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers continue to surprise, even though we are so early in their careers, and the evolution of this band is far from complete or even past its infancy.
The first big surprise was the transition from just the two of them to a full-fledged 5-piece band. As the touring lads became recognized members of the band and their contributions were noticeable right away.
There is a subtle maturity that permeates this album, but along those lines, the captive sounds and thoughts of its two leading ladies are never lost or far away. The production's soft polish is also much more defined here, but again, the raw grittiness and punk rock bravado that swings like big dick energy in a floral pastel pattern of a beautiful and poetic feminine touch is never but a song or two away, if not a lyrical stanza or guitar riff away.
This album rejoices in its newly profound nostalgia for its predecessor while mixing in a passion and peeling back that we are unfamiliar with when it comes to Wet Leg. Another great surprise is how the experiments never get far enough out of the lab to spawn an evil twin or lesser than clone of itself. Moisturizer is the perfect title for this tantalizing vanilla, lavender, and birchwood mixture of what captures the best essence of this band then and now.
There is a subtle maturity that permeates this album, but along those lines, the captive sounds and thoughts of its two leading ladies are never lost or far away. The production's soft polish is also much more defined here, but again, the raw grittiness and punk rock bravado that swings like big dick energy in a floral pastel pattern of a beautiful and poetic feminine touch is never but a song or two away, if not a lyrical stanza or guitar riff away.
This album rejoices in its newly profound nostalgia for its predecessor while mixing in a passion and peeling back that we are unfamiliar with when it comes to Wet Leg. Another great surprise is how the experiments never get far enough out of the lab to spawn an evil twin or lesser than clone of itself. Moisturizer is the perfect title for this tantalizing vanilla, lavender, and birchwood mixture of what captures the best essence of this band then and now.
JD's Overall Thoughts: If by any chance you haven’t heard Wet Leg’s debut ST album from 2022, please do that before you listen to their new offering just to get in the mood….because Wet Leg is definitely a mood. A groovy, hook laden, quirky, cheeky, groove. Complex, deep, and dark, the tongue goes deep into the cheek with this band and their second album Moisturizer pushes this sound further and deeper.
Something to be said about Wet Leg. The 3-3.5 minute song
formula is down to perfection. EACH track is a beautiful nugget of sonic
goodness and never outstays its welcome or feels too short. Somehow, it’s the
perfect length every time.
Here is our track by track rundown, Joe's thoughts are in blue and JD's in green .
1. CPR - The perfect opening because right away we get the best of both worlds that we are about to experience throughout the full album listening experience. The new members, mainly by Henry Holmes with a nice drum opening, inject themselves right away, but ultimately, when it gets to the chorus, here comes Rhian and Hester doing what they did so well on their first album. These riffs are catchy, playfully biting, and just too inviting not to groove to. I also love that this foreshadows a more common thread and theme throughout Rhian's own personal exploration, as the lyrics, while they don't overtly press into her feelings of angst, love, lust, and loss, they hint at what is to come for sure.
A groovy track to open the album with. Heavy,
smooth, bass groove, and I get St. Vincent vibes from it, though less musically
complicated. This is a great song to get in the mood and prep for seizing the
day by the balls while smiling at it. 999 is the UKs equivalent of 911 and
hell, if you’re in love, you might call it just to ask for CPR.
2. Liquidize - Welcome to the first departure from what the debut had. While there were plenty of lesser-than-power-chorded guided missiles like I Don't Wanna Go Out and Too Late Now, those all had this almost rockabilly edging to them, where Liquidize finds comfort in its Lilith Fair-ish-ness that leads to what are some of the most idiosyncrasies Rhian has ever laid out in a vocal performance before. Almost like a safety word for the vulnerability of what's to come. "How could I be your one? Be your Marshmallow worm?"
This brings some Strokes vibes to the fray for me.
And it sounds sweet and bubbly…and you pay attention and go, whoah. “So many
creatures in the fucking world, How could I be your one? Be your marshmallow worm?” And then there’s a possible
tribute to Pee-Wee Herman? Who knows? You tell me what you think. For me, the
acoustic grooves and fuzzy guitars interlaced while the rhythm sections comes
in and out work so well. And the ending is just so relatable to those young
loves we all have at one point. Brilliant.
3. Catch These Fists - The first single that was released, and it is, of course, as catchy as anything on the first album. It has the most giddy-ups of any of the tracks on the remainder of this album, a sonic and lyrical device used quite frequently in the debut album. Still, though, just when you think the softness and girliness of Rhian was being revealed, the layer peeling, she needs to remind you that this is still a band called Wet Leg and they are here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. While they still have some bubble gum here, it needs a couple of new sticks to be refreshed, and so in between, why not kick some proverbial ass? This song just rocks hard. "Stupid is what stupid does," maybe the best lyric of the year.
Well, if that’s not a title worthy of a t-shirt and being a
lead single, I don’t know what is? The spoken word tongue in cheek works so
well, and it’s a counterpoint to the previous track. Lyrically, it’s so good.
Get more of those St. Vincent vibes with the guitars, and I’m here for it. As
for the edge? Well, what do you think about this little verse? “He don't get puss,
he get the boot. I saw him sipping on dark fruit.” And that verse keeps it
going with FULL cheek and it’s glorious.
4. Davina McCall - Here again, best of both worlds as we get a little CPR mixed together with a Liquidize and that recipe is Davina McCall. The lyrical content here is so immersive and powerful visually that even in a daze or daydream, you have such a clear picture of the pretty bows this song ties on your head. I have to say the work of Hester on guitar and Ellis Durand on bass gave this song a stylish head bounce that created that kind of hazy, dreamlike state. Durand's riff especially, and then the twang of a few twisted chords underneath float like they were butterflies fluttering through the song's tempest. This is one of the warmest hugs of the year musically for me, from the most unlikely of huggers.
4. Davina McCall - Here again, best of both worlds as we get a little CPR mixed together with a Liquidize and that recipe is Davina McCall. The lyrical content here is so immersive and powerful visually that even in a daze or daydream, you have such a clear picture of the pretty bows this song ties on your head. I have to say the work of Hester on guitar and Ellis Durand on bass gave this song a stylish head bounce that created that kind of hazy, dreamlike state. Durand's riff especially, and then the twang of a few twisted chords underneath float like they were butterflies fluttering through the song's tempest. This is one of the warmest hugs of the year musically for me, from the most unlikely of huggers.
Sarcastic take on love that can fly over so many
people’s heads if you don’t pay attention. Sounds silly, mentions Ribena, which
I tried once and thought it was sweet but with a bite, much like this song. The
headbopping goodness of this band knows no limits, though. This groovy little
track will make you smile whether you’re paying attention or not…though the
cheeky line with Shakira, I think, will always make me smile. And then at the
end, is this true love? Very possible. But love the constant bits of cheek.
5. Jennifer's Body - Again, as we sway back and forth between who Wet Leg is and what they were on the first record, this reminds me of one of those deep tracks that just didn't make the cut among its stronger counterparts in the debut album. It's a powerful riff with a nice little Modest Mouse-like pausing effect. Then it drifts into a nice dreamy fashion that sounds like tiptoeing through the library shelves that crescendos with the original riff. This is tight and strong with a lot of Rhian's angst or frustration spilling into this awkward sense of understanding.
How much song can you pack into a less than three-minute
track? This track shows you, and it’s not punk rock or metal, mashing
everything. There’s balance. There’s dynamics. There’s little details. And like
every single track, there’s an undeniable groove. I can equally imagine a teen
digging this track as someone from Gen X, and that is pretty impressive.
By the time this track comes through, you should be clear that this band is not about musicianship chops. Everything is in its right place, sounds and feels perfect, though that’s not the flex of Wet Leg. Their flex is groove and vibe and that you hit the halfway mark of an album and have zero misfires on a sophomore effort with all the hype is a testament to the beauty of knowing what you want to play and why. And also, self-aware comes full circle with some lyrics like: “You think I'm pretty. You think I'm pretty cool. You wanna fuck me? I know most people do.” What can I say? “This is the real world, honey Bienvenue.”
7. Pond Song - The 80s Pat Benatar meets Depeche Mode tribute song, and if by chance you can't imagine how fucking cool that is, well, I am sorry for you. Great stuff from Henry again here. I also love that Hester is stepping in and taking some lead vocal duties, that was the one ingredient that was missing that the 1st one reigned supreme for and now and a little later, that shatters here.
BIG fuzz on the synth, the bass, and the guitars, who
happily stay out of the way until they’re needed to put emphasis on a
particular section. I can’t remember an album with as much low fi indie hip
shaking goodness, possibly even more than their debut. And more multi layered
tongue in cheek lyrics. Consistently these tracks are as much a joy to read as
they are to listen to.
8. Pokémon - The 80s tour-de-force continues. This might be the most polished song of Wet Leg's entire discography. It has such a beautiful fierceness that is layered with amazing high notes and great cymbal crashes. This is a love letter of epic proportions, and for the first time ever, I feel Rhian singing to that someone special like they are the only one in the room.
Things get dreamier and speed up a bit for Pokemon. But not
breakneck. Just a bit faster and more synth pop dreamy than previous tracks.
And the chorus says, if you wanna go for a drive, and man, that’s exactly what
the music evokes for me.
9. Pillow Talk - Well, again, here is a need for a bubble gum break, and ass kicking continues. This is punchy, powerful, and it is as no-holds-barred as a song can get. The really interesting and cool thing is how hard this song riffs into its chorus. This is as close to a hard rock song as Wet Leg has ever done. It has a nice Sonic Youth vibe to it. As one of the most departed styles from any preconceived norm, this might ultimately become my favorite song.
The intro drum fill to this track is like, let’s kick it up
a notch. Vocals continue with the spoken word tongue in cheek and lol, pillow
talk has never been this graphic in a song I think. And I’m here for it. You’ll
want to practice origami after this song :D
10. Don't Speak - Hester's love letter to her partner, Joshua, who is the other full-fledged member, is a very nice mess of what is a different soprano but the same fierceness or tempered cadence. It's like letting Marilyn Monroe jump in on an Ella Fitzgerald set and play her favorite. Again, not many bands have a chorus strength that doesn't lead to a repetitive overload. Wet Leg somehow knows that tightrope and how to walk it better than anybody. I love the impromptu guitar solo here, too.
Possibly the most 90s feeling track on the album? Keeps
the flow and groove going.
11. 11:21- While there is a rocker that uniquely worms its way onto a Wet Leg record, so does a poppier ballad. This is more of a psychedelic mushroom trip, though, than a belter like from an Aguilera or even Tori Amos (which is more of the tempo here). This song's sadness really seeps into its chords and melodies like a wet blanket. Not my favorite on the album, but I applaud Wet Leg for trying here.
It is the most mellow track on the album and more explorations
of love. Earnest, sweet, dreamy, late-night love thoughts captured in a song.
Nuff said.
12. U and Me At Home - Let's get down for the last time with how we started, Rhian and Ellis testing each other as the others wait to jump in. Then there is a nice blending of all the softness that leads to an anthem-like power chord chorus. This song is very much a musical recap of everything experienced here for the last 38 minutes. Nothing to stand out here, just a good clean, go-home outro.
To close off the album, we have “u and me at home” with a
call for the crowd to join in for the chorus, and I think that’s a pretty cool
way to finish the album. We’re in this together, in love, sarcasm, skepticism,
sex, turn offs, turn offs, because when someone says “You always know just what
to say,” it can go both ways, but this album only goes one way, and that’s on
replay all.
Joe's Final thoughts: While the front half of this album is untouchable, there is a couple skippables toward the end for me, which wasn't the case for the first opus, but I get it, this band had to try and find its legs, even if they weren't as wet as it was other times here. I appreciate that. Even with that being said, you can bet your ass that this is one of those that stays at the top my list and that I will be talking about come December.
JD's Final thoughts: Wet Leg match the vibe of their first album, offering enough new and fun views to keep you itching for more. Their tracks are tight, the exact length they should be, and no fillers in a 12 track album is a testament to people who live to give the full ass treatment, because when you’re having fun, half assing is never an option. Also, if you haven’t seen them perform live, do yourself a favor and do.
JD's Final thoughts: Wet Leg match the vibe of their first album, offering enough new and fun views to keep you itching for more. Their tracks are tight, the exact length they should be, and no fillers in a 12 track album is a testament to people who live to give the full ass treatment, because when you’re having fun, half assing is never an option. Also, if you haven’t seen them perform live, do yourself a favor and do.
YOU CAN GET MOISTURIZER BY WET LEG HERE
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