moisturizer by Wet Leg? Steven says 4/5

I had the chance to preview moisturizer early at the Rough Trade fan listening event, and let me just say: Wet Leg did not come to play, they came to frolic, froth, and fuck around (in the best way possible). After a debut that basically broke the internet (and my 2022 Apple Music Replay), I was a little nervous for the dreaded sophomore slump. But moisturizer dodges that fate with the same charm and chaos that made us fall in love with them in the first place.

Instead of polishing up their sound to fit the ever-slick indie machine, Wet Leg gets weirder and better. The production is cheeky and off-kilter, the melodies infectious, and the lyrics? Still not the deepest, but who cares when they’re this much fun. The band leans fully into romantic delirium here, trading existential dread for the horny euphoria of being hopelessly in love. Case in point: opener “CPR” ends with frontwoman Rhian Teasdale breathlessly calling emergency services to report that she’s “…in love!”

The album’s highlights — “mangetout,” “pond song,” and “pokemon” — are all fuzzy, flirty bops that feel custom-made for dancing alone in your room while texting someone you probably shouldn’t. It’s a quick listen, but it sticks with you. moisturizer doesn’t try to reinvent Wet Leg. It just reminds you why you liked them in the first place, and lets you fall for them all over again.

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