Photos by Dylan Simmons
Wet Leg is a five-piece English rock band known for their distinct display of electrifying guitar riffs, unforgettable live performances, and witty, assertive lyricism, sampling elements of indie rock, pop, and punk in their thoroughly unique sonic personality. Though they’re best known for viral tracks “Chaise Lounge” and “Wet Dream” off 2022’s self-titled debut album, Wet Leg is far from a one (or two) hit wonder. Last year, they released moisturizer, an evolved form of the idiosyncratic sound established by Wet Leg. This sophomore record flaunts incredible writing, is imbued throughout with vulnerability and passion, and features perfectly executed production by Dan Carey, who returned after collaborating on the group’s debut.
moisturizer has quickly become one of my favorite releases of 2025, an opinion clearly reflected by the rest of the alternative music industry (see Pitchfork and Rolling Stones’ end-of-year lists). After being nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and Performance (two categories they previously won with Wet Leg) for the 2026 GRAMMY Awards, the band joined fellow artist Audrey Nuna for a conversation at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by an intimate performance.
Wet Leg’s frontwoman Rhian Teasdale (vocals, guitar) and Josh Mobaraki (guitar, keys) spoke with moderator Audrey Nuna onstage at the intimate Clive Davis Theater last December. What ensued was an interview as insightful as it was entertaining, exploring the making of moisturizer and the band’s evolution from the eponymous Wet Leg. Teasdale’s eyes sparkled as she shared intimate pieces of her home on the Isle of Wight, and how this experience colored aspects of the album’s production and visuals.
Taking the lead in the conversation as a primary lyricist (alongside her best friend and bandmate, Hester Chambers), Teasdale explained how she’d previously avoided writing love songs, feeling that the world was already oversaturated with them. However, as anyone who’s listened to the album can report, moisturizer is all about falling hopelessly and euphorically in love. The reason for this change, Teasdale explains, was due to her personal journey of discovering her queerness in her late twenties. Much of her writing on this album was inspired by her current partner opening her eyes to a new way to love. Interestingly, Teasdale also emphasized decentering men as a primary influence shaping this record. It’s not common to hear artists sing about unraveling internalized homophobia and misogyny through their sapphic identity, but as a queer woman myself, these resonant elements felt refreshingly unique.
After a long conversation came a short (but sweet) performance, in which Wet Leg showcased some of moisturizer’s best: “CPR,” “catch these fists,” “davina mccall,” and “mangetout.” Wet Leg’s unique fanbase uniting Gen Xers and Gen Z alike was apparent, as the crowd spanning young and old jointly turned the seated theater into a dance floor. Teasdale’s stage presence is always magnetic, topped with her rich, saccharine vocals and blaring, crunchy guitars that make it impossible not to sing and dance along.
For queer people looking for a boost of unabashed self-confidence, or blissfully U-Hauling with their current infatuationship, moisturizer provides an upbeat, cathartic outlet for such quintessential aspects of the queer experience. For everyone else, moisturizer is arguably the most fun listen of 2025 for anyone who’s a fan of alt rock, sex, dancing, and/or earwormy guitar riffs. If you want to dive deeper into the meanings behind moisturizer and get a taste of Wet Leg’s electrifying stage presence, check out the recorded Q&A and performance on the GRAMMY Museum’s channels.
Listen to moisturizer here!
