Moisturizer

by Wet Leg

Overview

With the addition of longtime touring members Henry Holmes, Ellis Durand, and Josh Mobaraki to the lineup, Wet Leg are no longer just the cheeky duo of Hester Chambers and Rhian Teasdale. On Moisturizer, they're a full-fledged band in the business of making full-fledged albums, not just virally catchy singles like "Chaise Longue." They still excel at that, though: "Catch These Fists," a spiky anthem for anyone who's been harassed at a club when all they wanted to do was dance with their friends, is the album's most typical Wet Leg moment. They discover new shades of sass on the scornful strut of "Mangetout," where Teasdale's delivery of lines like "Good job/Give you an A" lands like a withering eye-roll. More often, Wet Leg let their bravado slip. As anyone who prides themself on being independent knows, trusting someone with your heart can be terrifying. On Wet Leg, the band compared being in love to sickness; on Moisturizer, they fight those feelings, give in to them, and ultimately realize how great love can be with the right person. Their deadpan vocals and frenzied playing capture this emotional sea change perfectly, mirroring feelings that can no longer be suppressed. Siren-like synths and surging riffs accompany Teasdale's breathless confessions on "CPR," which depicts love as an emergency that's half panic, half euphoria. Teasdale, Chambers, and company may be head over heels, but they haven't lost their tongue-in-cheek attitude. There's still an edge to heartfelt moments like Chambers' "Pond Song," and when they daydream about someone special on "Liquidize," their inimitable cool is intact. Wet Leg's expanded lineup also lets them stretch their sound to express the different flavors of love. "Pillow Talk" stage dives into grungy lust, with Teasdale laying on the innuendo as thick as the distortion; later, she scales angelic heights on "11:51," a surprisingly delicate ballad that reinforces how much Wet Leg's range has grown since their debut album. Even the pop culture references feel more varied, spanning the subversive feminist allusions within the sensuous shoegaze of "Jennifer's Body" to "Davina McCall," which wraps nods to the Big Brother host and Shakira in guileless indie pop. Moisturizer isn't always softer or smoother than Wet Leg, but it is more candid. Teasdale's newfound awareness of her queerness led her to open up in her songwriting with appealingly approachable results on songs like "Pokémon," where irresistibly silky choruses and whimsical lyrics ("you just gotta choose me/yeah I'll be your Pokémon") deepen the emotions instead of diluting them. By the time the album closes with "U and Me at Home"'s rowdy celebration of domestic bliss, Wet Leg have let down their hair -- and their guard -- completely. Even without a breakout hit like "Chaise Longue," Moisturizer is more confident, and more revealing, than Wet Leg's debut. These are love songs for people who don't want to fall in love, made by a band that sounds more comfortable in its skin than ever. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	07/11/2025
Label:	Domino
UPC:	0887828053018

Tracks

1. CPR
2. liquidize
3. catch these fists
4. davina mccall
5. jennifer's body
6. mangetout
7. pond song
8. pokemon
9. pillow talk
10. don't speak
11. 11:21
12. u and me at home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wet Leg   Primary Artist
Joshua Mobaraki   Synthesizer,Vocals,Guitar
Ellis Durand   Bass,Vocals
Henry Holmes   Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Rhian Teasdale   Guitar,Vocals
Hester Chambers   Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer,Tin Whistle

Technical Credits

Adele Philips   Engineer
Jake Stainer   Assistant Engineer
Laurence Bell   A&R
Elena Pelse   Management
Martin Hall   Management
Alexis Smith   Engineer
Alan Moulder   Mixing
Dan Carey   Producer
Henry Holmes   Composer
Matt Colton   Mastering
Matt de Jong   Repackaging Design
Jamie-James Medina   Repackaging Design
Jordan Whitmore   A&R
Finn Howells   Mixing Engineer
Joshua Mobaraki   Composer
Wet Leg   Repackaging Design
Rhian Teasdale   Composer
Hester Chambers   Artwork,Composer
Ellis Durand   Composer
Iris Luz   Cover Art
Lewis Foord   Assistant Engineer