Wet Leg Is The Newest Indie Sensation, Thanks To Their Viral Hits

Hailing from the Isle of Wight, this duo popped up out of nowhere to deliver a self-titled debut LP on the top-notch indie label Domino Records. Despite remaining firmly in the genre of deadpan post-punk, Wet Leg seized the zeitgeist and landed some hit debut singles, the most popular of which has nearly 15 million streams on Spotify. Their first collection of driving, exuberant pop-adjacent music had six total singles, and surprisingly the other half is of equal quality.

With the influx of new post-punk bands (many of which are quite good) in the past decade, it was only a matter of time until someone hit the perfect blend of fun, pop-worthy songwriting while staying true to the ethos of the genre. Listen to how the hit lead single 'Chaise Longue' infuses the dynamic guitar-and-drum-led ups and downs of their predecessors Parquet Courts and Goat Girl while using only half-sung vocals. Despite its simplicity, it's a near-perfect combination of all of the sounds that started peaking in this genre in the last five years.

Even if the Mean Girls-quoting “Chaise Longue” is not enough to convince, there are plenty of other Wet Leg songs on this debut that should win almost everyone over. The bitingly crass “Wet Dream” showcases the superbly catchy and anthemic side, while “Angelica” finds a more freewheeling relaxation before countering with messy, heavy distortion. By the time you reach the modern classic post-punk sound of “Too Late Now,” enough twists on the formula are introduced to keep the listener engaged. As easily the best debut album of 2022 so far, Wet Leg will probably land in many best-of-the-year lists for the year as well.

Rating: 9/10

★★★★★★★★★☆