Wet Leg may not have won this year’s mercury prize but the indie duo have taken the world by storm with their droll tone and eccentric lyrics over a fuzzy indie beat. You know them, you love them, even David Byrne loves them. But they’re just one of many female-fronted indie bands changing the industry. Facing ever present misogyny, being labelled as “industry plants”, these artists face a unique challenge to their unique sound. Here’s where to go when you’re craving a little more…
This south-London post-punk group may have paved way for wet leg, both in deadpan drawl and off the wall lyrics. Front woman Florence Shaw draws on everything for these lyrics, from Instagram filters to tampon adverts, taking a new spin on found object art. A little less pop and a little more punk, Dry Cleaning’s debut album “New Long leg” was released in April 2021,almost exactly a year before Wet leg’s self-titled. Could this be the quirky female drawl revolution? You be the judge, as their new album “stumpwork” is out now.
Leaping across the pond to Amsterdam lies Pip Blom. This dutch indie quartet have been going since 2016, named after the founding member and frontwoman. Starring originally as Pip’s bedroom indie project, her music grew and with it so did the band. With a slightly more grungy edge than Wet Leg, Pip Blom’s newest album “ welcome break” leans into their resonant and playful roots with the result being an emotive hit of introspective bops.
Similarly, to Wet Leg, Panic Shack have had their fair share of fame and misfortune on TikTok. One clip from the welsh quintet’s Reading Festival set went viral, reaching over 1.3 mil views. Their single “The Ick” performed from the BBC Introducing stage was greeted reactions such as “BBC, now un-introduced them” and “They sound like if Boo and Fleabag made a punk band”. But are these valid criticisms or yet another example of covert misogyny? Infused with a healthy serving of riot grrrl angst, the group are supporting Yard Act in their current UK Tour.
Combining 60’s glamour with 00’s filth, Brighton’s Black Honey are back with a bang. Their third album “A fistful of peaches” is on its way and, if their new single “heavy” is anything to go by, you’re in for a treat. This band oozes feminine power, with frontwoman Izzy Baxter Phillips reincarnating the look and sound of Courtney Love for Gen-Z. Although not as droll as Wet Leg, their shared energy proves one thing – the future is femme.
Bristol Based producer and artist Billy Nomates mixes spoken word and dreamy melodies to create her ethereal yet punchy sound. Her voice has a similar school-girl-come-alien quality to Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale, with a stage name that Wet Leg would envy. In her most recent single, Billy leans more into an experimental sound, away from her punkier roots. The mix of crunchy baselines with haunting melody on her most recent track “balance is gone” is a thrilling sign of what comes. Her new album Cacti is coming next year, followed by a european tour.
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