#30 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Wet Leg
moisturizer by Wet Leg
A lot can happen in three years. Wet Leg, the duo out of Isle of Wight in Great Britain, had an insane blast-out-of-a-cannon year in 2022. Shortly after their self-titled debut album came in at #8 in 2022 on the Top 31, they won Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys and Best New Artist and Best British Group at the Brit Awards.
Since then, Rhian Teasdale (vocals, guitar) and Hester Chambers (guitar) have expanded the band outwards to a fully-fledged group of five, adding Henry Holmes (drums), Josh Mobaraki (rhythm guitar, synths) and Ellis Durand (bass). Together, they’ve put together an unexpectedly great sophomore album called moisturizer, demonstrating they’re not going to be labeled as one-hit wonders, held back by the insane success of their debut single “Chaise Longue.”
To my ears, there’s a straight line from their debut album to moisturizer. The same soft and loud vocals, mixed with a boisterous attack in their songwriting can be found on both albums. It feels odd to use the words “unexpectedly great” yet place the album all the way back at #30 for the year. I have enjoyed listening to this album since it came out in July, but it hasn’t had the draw of quite a few other albums. But I accept that my personal take on the album isn’t the only one available — KEXP listeners voted moisturizer their #1 album of 2025.
They’ve released quite a few videos for the album, most of which have a sameness that mirrors the music: Teasdale front and center, dressed in a bikini top and short shorts, singing in slow motion while mugging for the camera (see “CPR”, “catch these fists”, “mangetout,” and “pokemon”). Of that group of videos, “pokemon” at least has a narrative that breaks the mold a bit, but it’s the video for “davina mccall” that I’ve featured above that is entirely different – stop motion animation for the win! That song has the added benefit of being a stand-out from the rest – allowing Teasdale to stretch her vocal range in a more bubbly pop wrapper.
If you’re not ready to commit fully to the band, I recommend you check out their live performance at the KEXP from September. They play the four singles featured in the videos I link above, and it plainly shows the fantastic musicianship of the new members of the band. And it gives you a good taste of what they’re capable of. You’re going to like it.
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