British indie rockers Wet Leg exploded onto the scene in 2022 with a wildly viral and critically acclaimed self-titled debut, scooping up two GRAMMY Awards and a tidal wave of praise. Now, the "Wet Dream" hitmakers are turning up the heat with their second album, Moisturizer.
On their sophomore LP, the Isle Of Wight duo of vocalist and guitarist Rhian Teasdale and guitarist Hester Chambers — along with guitarist and keyboardist Josh Mobaraki, bassist Ellis Durand and drummer Henry Holmes — crank up both the volume and the vulnerability. Yet Wet Leg keep their signature twisted charm and left-field humor intact, pushing their sound into a punchier, heavier and hornier territory.
"Most people are forced to grow up and dress a certain way and tend to lose that playfulness," Teasdale tells GRAMMY.com. "It really is such a privilege to get to live somewhere in between reality and fantasy like me and Hester do."
Though the thunderous lead single "Catch These Fists" and the vivacious “Mangetout" made it seem like Wet Leg were ready to focus on the struggle of dealing with men, love is the glue holding the LP together. The electrifying “CPR” and the lovestruck but earnest "Davina McCall" see Teasdale, who once shied away from writing about romance, lay her feelings on the line for everyone to see. During the creation of Moisturizer, Teasdale came out as queer, marking a powerful shift that allowed her to reclaim love songs — those messy, obsessive, blissed-out odes — on her own terms and fully inhabit Wet Leg’s freaky, liberated universe.
Following Wet Leg’s slot at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Teasdale caught up with GRAMMY.com to discuss the creation of Moisturizer, the process of writing love songs, working with producer Dan Carey and how Wet Leg continue to embrace the otherworldliness.
Hi Rhian! How was Primavera Sound?
It was amazing. We played the festival a couple of years ago when the first album was just coming out, and for people to turn up back then was so insane. It was a memorable show, so we were nervous going back there this time and were like Oh man, is this time gonna live up to how good the last time was? Luckily, people came, and it was so much fun.
Your self-titled earned you guys two golden gramophones at the 2023 GRAMMYs and two BRIT awards. With the time that has now passed, has the reality of earning these prestigious accolades hit you?
Yes. They sit on a shelf in my house at home, and they just look very awkward and very out of place. I don't think they'll ever look normal. It's just a funny little thing that we've picked up along the way of this mad adventure, where we get to play shows night after night with our friends. It's all crazy.
Yeah, especially with the idea that Wet Leg wasn't formed with the goal of earning these accolades, right? It was just kind of like a bunch of friends just doing the damn thing and just having fun.
Yeah, so very unexpected.
I read that you guys had rented out a place in the countryside to work on the new album. What was that experience like?
We had just landed from tour and it felt like we were coming back down to earth and reality. It felt similar to when the school year is over and you’ve got the summer to do nothing. It felt like closing a chapter and getting to do it all over again. It really felt miraculous.
All five members of Wet Leg were writers on this album. How did it feel to work as a team as opposed to your self-titled, which was only you and Hester writing?
It felt like the most natural thing. When only the first album existed, we had to go out and play that live and Henry, Joshua and Ellis are the people that we did that with, so we've already got this pre-existing working relationship.
When we were preparing for tour…we were always jamming during sound checks and stuff. A lot of the initial ideas for Moisturizer ended up coming from all of us just having a jam at the house that we rented.
You guys tapped Dan Carey again to produce the record. How did he push the band to change or get out of your comfort zone?
It was really wholesome to get back with Dan and having that pre-existing relationship and experience in the studio. Being able to get into it and have all the resources available to us was amazing.
We're just so comfortable working with each other now, and we all pushed each other. For example, Dan would be like, "No, Henry, that was like, a good take" and Henry would be like, "No, I need to do it again." We were all kind of egging each other on in that sense, and all pushing each other.
Moisturizer sees you guys ditch the tongue-in-cheek indie vibe of your self-titled. It feels a bit angrier and louder, but also is a full-on love album. What was your mindset when stepping into these themes?
It’s funny you say the new record sounds heavier, because for the first time in years — since we mixed and mastered the first album — I went back and listened to [Wet Leg] and thought, What? Who is this band? This doesn’t sound like us. We’ve been touring that record for two or three years now with the current five-piece lineup, and the way we play those songs live is a lot heavier. So that’s how I hear the first album now. I guess if you haven’t been on tour with us for the past few years — which, obviously, no one has except us — then Moisturizer probably does sound heavier.
As for all the lovey-dovey stuff — that came from us sitting down to write and going, Okay, what have I actually seen and felt recently? And the answer was: touring, dressing rooms, hotels. But also, I was head over heels in love with my partner. So a lot of that time was spent on FaceTime in hotel rooms, missing them. That definitely found its way into the songs.
There are such powerful love songs on the album which highlight a more vulnerable side to you guys that we haven't really seen before. Was it scary to lay it all on the line and expose these feelings?
Totally. But I think because Hester has some lovey-dovey songs on there too, it made it easier. I remember asking her, "Hester, is this too corny? Can I actually say 'sweet baby angel' in a song?" And she was like, "I love sweet baby angel!" She’d say things like, "'Don’t Speak’ is such a cheesy little love song," and I’d be like, "Oh my god, that’s my favorite one.”
I think both of us being in really secure relationships has a lot to do with us being open to that kind of vulnerability.
Is there a specific track from the album that stands out to you? One that you will always hold dear to your heart?
One of the special things about recording music is that when you listen back, you’re instantly transported to the room — and to the exact feelings you had at the time.
For example, it took me ages to record vocals for "Davina McCall" because I kept crying. It was such an emotional process. Usually, when you’re recording, you try to put some feeling into the take — but with that song, I was feeling too much. It was hard to sing it without breaking down.
Throughout your performances and on both releases, you seem to embrace an otherworldliness. What is it about having that unique eccentricism that feels like home?
It's just one of the privileges that you have as an artist. Most people are forced to grow up and dress a certain way and tend to lose that playfulness, and it really is such a privilege to get to live somewhere in between reality and fantasy like me and Hester do.
Being allowed the opportunity to play and see what comes out — even with the album cover, I knew I wanted to create something that was cute and a bit freaky and subversive. We're so lucky that we get to do all these mad things and build this whole world around these little songs that we've made. It's so silly and fun.