You know, given that I was going to see Wet Leg again two weekends in a row, first at Gov Ball and then at Bonnaroo, I figured I should finally give their latest album, moisturizer, a listen. Now that we are almost a year out on it.
I will say, I think my hesitance to listen to it had a lot to do with how much I loved their debut album. I think I was really, really nervous that this one was going to let me down. But, I do think putting more space between them really helped me out with it. From a very high level, moisturizer comes across a lot less experimental than their debut. With that being said, there is still a lot of experimenting going on, but it all flows well together and the confidence is there. I also think a lot of the cohesiveness on the album has a lot to do with the fact that the whole thing is about love. Truly, if you dig into the lyrics, it’s 11 love songs in varying degrees.
As far as being nervous to listen to the album, “CPR” as the opening track was a great way to quell those nerves! The intro bass is so, so good, and the song ups itself with some unique vocal manipulations in the second verse. As evidenced, this will be a future live staple for the band. “Catch These Fists” is another track that immediately stuck with me. Gen Z kids, it’s a bop. And perhaps the cousin to “Angelica?” Maybe it’s just because it has an equally catchy riff going throughout. While this one seems less about love, it’s maybe more about not trying to find love at the bars and clubs when you’re just trying to hang with your friends.
Another song getting a lot of live set action is “Mangetout,” and that is totally deserving of it! For some reason, it makes me think of singing in a bog or something, but gosh if this isn’t another insanely catchy track. Plus, I remembered clocking Rhian’s vocals in this song while watching Heated Rivalry! I knew the Letterkenny crew had good taste in music, but I didn’t know that extended to Jacob, too! Other strong tracks on the album for me include ‘Pokemon” and after another earnest listen, “11:21.” The former is a real toe-tapper – the flow is so good, along with a lot of vocal experimentation. Then the latter is the slowest song I’ve ever heard from this band, but it’s a real showcase for Rhian’s vocal range and likely professional training.
The rest of the album is also pretty solid, but after just one dedicated sit-down with it, there wasn’t quite enough to cement the rest of the songs in my head at the moment. Would I be surprised if this album landed on my ‘best of’ list at the end of the year, though? Hell no. These guys rule, and I hope they keep making music together for a long time. I was so thrilled to see them again live!