“The right amount of silly and strange, off-beam and familiar” Mojo 4*
“This album is an unashamedly goofy celebration of fun, sex and romance, but also a bittersweet commentary on the price of pleasure, the cruel downside of love and the trials of being twentysomething women in 21st-century Britain” Uncut 8/10
“They’re one of those new bands whose sound and aesthetic seem to have arrived fully formed, promising exciting if totally unpredictable things to come” The New York Times
“Riotously smart debut” Record Collector 4*
“A breath of fresh air” The Independent
“2022 is going to be their year” Clash
“Immensely charming” Stereogum
“One of 2022’s most anticipated debuts” Metro
“Dizzyingly perfect” NME
“The most exciting new band on the planet have made the most exciting new album on the planet” Dork
On Friday, Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg will release their eagerly anticipated self-titled debut album. Since unleashing their first single in June last year, things have moved at lightning speed for Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – from selling out all their live shows in minutes, performing on US TV three times, being crowned number 2 in BBC’s Sound of 2022 to racking up 40M global streams and 9M YouTube views as well as been touted, most recently, by Dave Grohl, Lorde and Jack White. Before all twelve tracks from Wet Leg are revealed, today the duo share new song “Ur Mum”.
“Ur Mum” opens with a spectacular insult lobbed in the direction of an ex-boyfriend: “When I think about what you’ve become, I feel sorry for your mum” but the song also nods to outgrowing the slow pace of life and small town energy of the island: “When the lights go down on this fucking town, I know it’s time to go” and results in Rhian letting out her “longest and loudest scream” for 11.02 seconds. Teasdale says of the song: “I was pretty angry at way things had gone in this particular dynamic. It’s just a diss song I wrote to make myself feel better. It worked.”
The video directed by Lava La Rue who says: “The Ur Mum video was all about bringing the viewer into the Wet Leg world – sprinkling details throughout the visual that not only reference at least 4 songs off the album but also plenty of inside jokes within the band too. Artistically it shows where the aesthetic of American indie films like Napoleon Dynamite fit perfectly in the scape of rural British settings – this concept first came to me when the band took me to IOW for the first time – I saw the connection and it all clicked into place.”
The band have just completed an extensive round of touring in North America including roadblock SXSW showcases, an Academy Awards pre party for YSL, performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with James Corden.
They’ve also confirmed their UK touring plans for November including 2 dates at London’s O2 Forum which are already sold out. Fresh from their appearance at BBC 6 Music Festival on the weekend, they’ve been announced for Radio 1’s Big Weekender in May and also as the only addition to Radio 1’s Brit List.
Listen to Wet Leg’s previous singles: “Chaise Longue”, “Wet Dream”, “Too Late Now”, “Oh No” and “Angelica”.
Wet Leg is available to pre-order on exclusive clear vinyl (with a 7” of two non-album tracks) via the band’s webstore, standard vinyl, cassette, CD and digitally. A variety of merch (T-shirt, print) is available as a pre-order bundle too. Pre-order: Wet Leg Store | Digital
Upcoming live dates
- Thursday 7th April – Banquet @ PRYZM, Kingston (early & late) – sold out
- Friday 8th April – Rough Trade East, London (matinee & evening) – sold out
- Saturday 9th April – Resident, Brighton – sold out
- Sunday 10th April – Rough Trade, Bristol – sold out
- Monday 11th April – Rough Trade, Nottingham – sold out
- Tuesday 12th April – HMV, Birmingham – sold out
- 13th April – Bear Tree Records out-store at The Foundry, Sheffield – sold out
- 16th April – Newcastle University, Newcastle – sold out
- 17th April – The Mash House, Edinburgh – sold out
- 19th April – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – sold out
- 20th April – Gorilla, Manchester – sold out
- 21st April – Trinity Centre, Bristol – sold out
- 23rd April – o2 Institute, Birmingham – sold out
- 24th April – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich – sold out
- 26th April – Electric Ballroom, London – sold out
- 27th April – The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth – sold out
- 14th May – Point Ephemere, Paris – sold out
- 15th May – Le Nuits Botanique @ Botanique Rotonde, Brussels
- 16th May – Jaki, Cologne
- 19th May – Doornroosje, Nijmegen
- 20th May – Rotown, Rotterdam – sold out
- 21st May – London Calling @ Paradiso, Amsterdam
- 23rd May – Milla, Munich
- 24th May – Milla, Munich – sold out
- 25th May – Berghain/Kantine, Berlin – sold out
- 28th May – Neighbourhood Weekender @ Victoria Park, Warrington
- 16th June – Isle of Wight Festival, Newport
- 23rd June – The Louisiana, Bristol – Independent Venue Week/sold out
- 9th July – TRNSMT @ Glasgow Green, Glasgow
- 25th August – Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver – sold out
- 23rd October – Strom, Munich
- 25th October – Magazzini Generali, Milan
- 26th October – Mascotte, Zurich
- 29th October – Mojo Club, Hamburg
- 4th November – Trix, Antwerp
- 5th November – Vera, Groningen
- 6th November – Astra Kulturehaus, Berlin
- 7th November – Kantine, Cologne
- 9th November – Elysee Montmartre, Paris
- 10th November – Rockhal Club, Esch-sur-alzette
- 11th November – Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam
- 13th November – UEA, Norwich – sold out
- 14th November – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol – sold out
- 15th November – O2 Academy Liverpool, Liverpool – sold out
- 17th November – SWG3, Glasgow – sold out
- 18th November – Leeds Beckett Students Union, Leeds – sold out
- 19th November – O2 Ritz, Manchester – sold out
- 21st November – O2 Institute, Birmingham
- 23rd November – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – sold out
- 24th November – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – sold out
- 25th November – Rock City, Nottingham – sold out
- 27th November – Limelight, Belfast
- 28th November – Academy, Dublin
Wet Leg have partnered with PLUS1 on their November UK tour so that £1 from every ticket goes to War Child to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war. www.warchild.org.uk