"Wet Dream" is a song by English indie rock duo
Wet Leg. It was written by singer-guitarists Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, along with guitarist Joshua Mobaraki, and produced by
Dan Carey. It was released through
Domino on 28 September 2021 as the second single from their debut album
''Wet Leg''.
Background and composition
"Wet Dream" was described as a "2 and half minute slice of exuberance". Rhian Teasdale explained that the
breakup song
A breakup song is a song describing the breakup of an intimate relationship, with associated emotions of sadness, frustration, anger, and sometimes of acceptance or relief. As one source states (discussing the upbeat breakup song " Better Things ...
was written after she kept receiving texts from an ex telling her how he dreamt about her.
It is a
punk-leaning song featuring hollered vocals, squally
riffs and "tongue-in-cheek" lyrics. Comparing it to the band's debut single "
Chaise Longue", Tyler Golsen of ''
Far Out'' found "Wet Dream" to be "far more melodic and
indie rock-based" than its predecessor, and described the lyrical content of the two songs as "bizarre". He noted that "Wet Dream" contains plenty of sexual references, including its title.
Promotion
The band performed the song during their
Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, alongside "
Chaise Longue", "Too Late Now" and "Oh No". Their performance, released on 1 December 2021, intersperses
VHS clips with footage captured on modern cameras, as a nod to their sound which is inspired by the 1970s.
Wet Leg chose to perform "Wet Dream" and "Chaise Longue" when they were the musical guest on ''
The Tonight Show'' on 9 March 2022. For their second appearance on ''
Later... with Jools Holland'', on 16 May 2022, they performed "Wet Dream" and "Ur Mom".
Music video
The music video for "Wet Dream" was directed by Rhian Teasdale. It features Teasdale and Chambers who are about to eat lobster when they realise that they have lobster claws in place of their hands.
Its imagery was compared to the work of
avant-garde Czech film director
Věra Chytilová and Spanish
surrealist artist
Salvador Dalí.
Cover version
English singer-songwriter
Harry Styles
Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor''. Following hi ...
promoted the release of his third studio album ''
Harry's House'' on
BBC Radio 1's
Live Lounge on 23 May 2022. He played four songs during this set, including a cover of "Wet Dream". This version featured more raw
instrumentals than the original, with more aggressive and forward guitars. Wet Leg was later chosen as the opening act for the 2023 European leg of Styles'
second concert tour.
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Wet Leg
2021 singles
2021 songs
Domino Recording Company singles
Songs about dreams
Wet Leg songs