Maybe it’s something about the Isle of Wight. The short-lived electronic dance band Get Shakes found a way to make old-school disco music sound modern and cool. It had to do with their creative use of synths, coloring in the relentless beats they cranked out.
Or perhaps it had to do with finding a way to merge both the British and the American concepts of disco – a pop sound that wasn’t overly saccharine and a dance beat that offered more than just the rhythm.
Whatever might be at play in Get Shakes’ music, their Isle of Wight comrades Wet Leg have made it into an international phenomenon. Best friends Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers took the world by storm when their single “Chaise Longue” dropped in 2021.
No sign of a sophomore slump with Wet Leg’s Moisturizer
The debut album Wet Leg hit number one in the UK and made it into the top 20 in the States. They were smart and funny. They were quirky. And they cranked out some excellent indie rock.
Teasdale and Chambers are back with their second album, Moisturizer, which dropped last Friday. This time, they have added permanent elements in Ellis Durand on bass and Joshua Mobaraki on guitar. Henry Holmes, who played as a session drummer on the debut, is now also formally a part of the band.
Teasdale still does the bulk of the singing, while Chambers harmonizes and plays guitar and keys. Dan Carey returns as producer, also handling some of the involved synth patterns that carry most of the songs.
Moisturizer picks up where the debut album left off and expands the musical palette. That expansion isn’t enormous. Almost every track is instantly recognizable as the band that did “Chaise Longue” and all that followed. But there is nuance and nods to different strains of pop and rock twisting its way into the synth-heavy dance beats.
As for the subject matter, Teasdale and Hester, who wrote most of the songs with plenty of input from the rest of the band, seem even more interested in the nature of love and attraction. It is an uneasy, dangerous, and ultimately thrilling place to be.
From the opening track, “CPR,” Teasdale asks repeatedly, “Is it love or suicide?” The chorus instructs, “Put your mouth to mine, give me CPR,” as though the very concept of attraction poses a great risk to one’s heart. Of course, we know that to be true. It’s just that most of us can’t describe it so compellingly.
The second track, “Liquidize,” which trades the throbbing synths for a brighter beat, opens with the same cautionary attitude. “Love struck me down – The f**k am I doing here?” Then it’s a return to those pounding synths and bass on “catch these fists.” “I know all too well just what you’re like – I don’t want your love, I just want to fight.”
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They take a turn toward genuinely sweet, sunny pop on “davina mccall,” which has none of the danger woven into the earlier tracks. But then there’s the martial grunge of “jennifer’s body” and we’re back into the realm of dangerous obsession.
Musically, Wet Leg is comfortable bouncing from that edgier sound to softer melodies that recall classic ’60s pop. But they always remain anchored by Teasdale’s cool, deadpan delivery and earworm dance beats.
There are quirky shifts throughout. Songs end abruptly in the middle of a phrase. British references that send ignorant Americans to Wikipedia in search of explanations show up all the time. For instance, I now know who Davina McCall is (a TV presenter) and what the Solent is (though I must admit, I have already forgotten that reference's meaning.)
I do remember it came from one of the rare songs on which Chambers sings lead – “pond song.” Chambers doesn’t quite have the deadpan of Teasdale. She sings in a sweeter tone, but the music acts as a counterbalance. It is some of the fuzziest, grungiest rock Wet Leg serves up.
“pokemon” is more ‘60’s-inspired pop. I have no clue what the title means.
But I do understand the following song – the weird and wonderful “pillow talk,” which explores the nature of sexual longing through one of the coolest singles of the year.
Then, for one final change of pace, they give us a neo-soul gem "11:21," which has a simple, almost gothic musical attack and features some of Teasdale’s most expressive vocals.
There’s plenty to like for fans who simply fell in love with “Chaise Longue” and want to hear more of that. “Catch these fists” comes closest, which is no doubt why it was the first single dropped back in April.
But Wet Leg is certainly showing that they are neither a one-hit wonder nor a one-trick pony on Moisturizer. If you liked what they were doing on the debut, you will still like what they are doing on their sophomore effort. You might even find new styles of songs to like as well.