Coachella Band Preview: Wet Leg

Greetings from Mexico again! The dust has settled after the Coachella lineup released last week so it’s finally time to start the prep work! That means booking flights and hotels, outfit planning, strategizing, and of course listening to the bands playing the festival. This week begins my weekly preview series that ends when Weekend 1 begins. We’re kicking off the 2023 Coachella previews with a band that blew up over the past few years, Wet Leg.

Wet Leg is a British indie rock band formed in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Both knew each other for 10 years before forming the group, but since their formation they’ve really made a name for themselves in a short amount of time. Their debut single “Chaise Longue” was release in June of 2021 followed by “Wet Dream” later that year. Their self-titled debut album came out last April and since then they have been nominated for awards throughout Europe and the U.S. including 3 Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Alternative Music Performance, and Best Alternative Music Album.

I only know of Wet Leg because of the song “Wet Dream.” I started listening to it shortly after its release in 2021 so I’m excited to listen to this band more before I head out to Indio. As you know, I feel like Coachella has been skimping on indie rock music in recent years compared to 7-10 years ago. Wet Leg is one of the few bands that falls into that category so I’m fully preparing myself to get more into them in the next few months. They play Friday, which is unfortunate for my schedule but I’m hoping they have a late night Friday set that I’ll be able to see. If you’re trying to catch some indie rock at Coachella like I am, here’s a few Wet Leg songs you may want to listen to:

1. Wet Dream
2. Chaise Longue
3. Too Late Now
4. Angelica
5. Ur Mum
6. Being In Love
7. Oh No
8. I Don’t Wanna Go Out
9. Loving You
10. Piece of Shit

Dance Fever: Album Review

I’m coming at you quick with an album review for another album that dropped 2 months ago. I was in DC at the time seeing HAIM and on the brink of an EDC Las Vegas departure when it was released. I will say I was about to order the album at one point when I realized after receiving a copy in the mail, I must have pre-ordered it earlier in the year. I honestly forgot amidst all the things I had going on and patted myself on the back for that one. I have yet to sit down and really listen to the album in full though. It’s mostly because I’ve been distracted by the band Wallows, who I got into after seeing at Coachella. I’ve been in a huge Wallows phase since Coachella Weekend 1 and it’s still yet to let up. In fact I’ll be seeing them for the 5th time in 4 months next week! Let’s get back to Florence though.

Dance Fever is Florence + the Machine’s fifth studio album. Their last studio album was released in 2018. I have to say I was excited for new music for one of my favorite groups, headed by female indie pop vocalist Florence Welch. I expected an album with a title like Dance Fever to be full energy upbeat tracks all the time, but it really isn’t. There’s a few bops like “Free”, “My Love,” and “Choreomania”, but many slower, chill, entrancing melodies like “The Bomb”, “Good Morning Elvis”, and “Girls Against God.”

Dance Fever is a solid indie pop/rock album from a group that has been putting out similar albums since 2009. Florence’s vocals drive this album, especially on the interludes and the other slower tracks. I’m not shocked though as her vocals really drive all their music.

I don’t think this is one of Florence + the Machine’s best albums though. Their earlier albums are a force to be reckoned with. Dance Fever is promising though with several great songs that deserve plenty of praise and hype. “King” is one of those from the album. I plan on spending more time listening to the album, but I’m sure a Wallows song will pop in to my head and I’ll revert back to listening to them again. That seems to be a theme lately. Florence + the Machine are embarking on a fall tour in support of the album starting in September. I’m disappointed to say I won’t be able to make a show this time around due to work obligations. If you get the chance though, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Florence and her machine. I also don’t think you should pass up the chance to listen to their latest record, despite it not being one of their best in my opinion. I’m sure you’ll find something you love and can dance to on it. It’s Dance Fever after all.

Tranquility Base Hotel: Album Review

It took almost 5 years for Arctic Monkeys to release a new album. They went on hiatus after supporting AM, which is arguably their best album to date. 2018 is the return of the British indie rock band though. On May 11th, they released their 6th album Tranquility Base Hotel. The album title has never been truer though because tranquil is definitely a word to describe this record.

It has a different sound than many of their prior records. Arctic Monkeys have been labeled as a quinessential modern indie rock band. This record strays from the pure rock sound they’ve been known for. It’s more melodic and vibe-y.  Aside from Alex Turner’s crooning vocals, it doesn’t sound like an Arctic Monkeys record. I’ve been listening to the band Magic City Hippies and it reminds me of them a lot. It’s missing that edge and uptempo sound. It’s the kind of thing you’d listen to on a rainy afternoon.

After anticipating this album for at least a year and a half, I was disappointed. I got stoked on the Monkeys for a little while there in 2016 after being a casual fan since AM‘s release. I was waiting to hear some brand new bangers from the boys from Sheffield, but instead I got music that could probably put me to sleep. Maybe I’m just being picky and this record will take time to get used to, but I needed another “Do I Wanna Know?”, “Snap Out of It” or “Fluorescent Adolescent.”

Despite my disappointment in the new record, I’m still stoked that Arctic Monkeys are now touring again. I plan on working a show of theirs in July and sticking around to see their set. I’m definitely stoked for it and need to binge on their old records. I guess I have to listen to their new one too. After hearing the album, I decided not to purchase it. I was disappointed. I need to let it grow on me before I revisit the buying option. That’s what happens sometimes though. Sometimes an album isn’t what you expect or what you want to hear, but that’s what makes the good ones even better!

T-Shirt Weather

I had every intention of writing a new Coachella Band Preview for today, but I discovered a new band last night that I needed to share first. It’s almost like a “Breaking News” moment. I may have mentioned this before, but every week Spotify puts out a new Discover Weekly Playlist (duh…Discover Weekly!). I subscribed to the playlist a while ago and found a bunch of new tunes because of it. Yesterday, as I was listening to the new playlist, I saw a song that caught my eye. The title was “T-Shirt Weather”, which made me chuckle a bit considering my deep love for the song “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood (my blog post from the fall so you can see how deep my love runs). I said to myself “What is this? The new “Sweater Weather”?.” I was eager to check it out. Lo and behold, it’s a great song. It’s so great that I have now officially deemed it the new “Sweater Weather”. The song style is much different than the 2013 hit by The Neighbourhood though and it’s by a relatively new band called Circa Waves.

Circa Waves is a British indie rock band formed in 2013. The group hails from Liverpool and consists of vocalist and guitarist, Kieran Shudall, bassist, Sam Rourke, drummer, Colin Jones, and guitarist, Joe Falconer. Shudall and Rourke actually met at a music festival in 2013 and it resulted in the formation of the band. The band’s first single “Good For Me/Get Away” was released in December 2013. Their first EP, Young Chasers EP, was released in June the following year. They played festivals throughout Europe and toured through 2014. Young Chasers, their debut album (Yep, same name as the EP), was released in March 2015. The release happened around their performance at SXSW and a U.S. tour in the fall of 2015 followed. They played U.S. dates with Foals and Ms Mr as well as with The 1975 in the UK.

My first impression of the band was that they are a perfect example of indie rock. In fact the band could be a great transition for someone who likes punk rock or pop-punk and wants to get into indie music. While researching these guys, I read that they’ve been compared to The Strokes. In my opinion, that comparison is spot on. Their music style is much like American indie rockers, The Strokes. They also remind me of The Kooks at times as well. So if you’re a fan of either of those two bands, I guarantee you’ll love these guys.

This year the group has already booked dates at Governor’s Ball and Firefly. If you plan on attending either of those two festivals, I suggest you check out Circa Waves. Their music is both upbeat and fun, which will make for a great set in the the summer sun (hopefully it’s sun at least!). You’ll probably hear a few of these songs:

1. T-Shirt Weather
2. Stuck In My Teeth
3. Best Years
4. Good For Me/Get Away
5. Fossils