Wet - Don't You Album Review (Columbia Records) - music art film review

From 2013 to 2015, Brooklyn-based band Wet teased out songs for their 2016 full-length, Don’t You, starting with a previously self-released and self-titled 2013 EP. After being remixed by well-known DJs, the EP gained momentum and saw a re-release through Neon Gold Records, thus perpetuating a cycle that eventually attracted Columbia Records.

Wet‘s hooky singles were instant favorites, especially album closer “No Lie,” which unfortunately didn’t end up being on the full-length. Don’t You does, however, include a host of other slick and smooth songs, built on the tenets of R&B. Most of the album’s songs — including its two sleek singles, “Weak” and “You’re the Best” — are sensual love songs with a bit of edge. Made modern with more synths, and made ethereal with tracks like “Island”, Wet’s brand of alternative R&B make you feel like you’re floating in clouds above it all.

Wet’s music is comfortable and easy; it only takes a few tries to settle in. There is a distinct whiff of nostalgia, but Don’t You is not a throwback record. Wet is looking forward to the future while nodding to their past, which conjures up old school radio hits from 1994. In terms of lyrical content, the songs right in with that ’90s R&B typology; most of the songs are about love, romance, or lack thereof. It’s as emo as an electronic R&B album can get without being too cringeworthy, and this statement is especially true of the album opener and closer, “It’s All Vain” and “These Days”. Finally, by adding typical pop songs into the mix, such as “All The Ways”, the signal is clear that Wet is rather close to the tipping point between indie-stardom and rocketing beyond into the mainstream.