United Kingdom alt-rockers Wet Leg have had a breakthrough year since releasing their second album Moisturizer in July 2025. The band, which became a permanent five-piece after adding its touring members, captured fans the second time around with a meatier sonic complexity. But they also found a balance on the album that spoke to a better understanding of their own sound after a long tour.
However, that sonic complexity shouldn’t be mistaken for technical complexity. According to Rhian Teasdale, the key to a good song isn’t in smothering the composition with chords and complicated phrases. Seems like, for Wet Leg, a good song is like a delicate ecosystem. Introduce too many invasive species (superfluous chords), and you’ll alter the entire ecological landscape (make a bad song).
Speaking to The Cut in July 2026, Teasdale revealed that her approach to a good song is to strip it down as much as possible. This is one secret to Wet Leg’s success, despite “many loser gatekeepers who want you to believe that you need 20-plus chords in a song for it to be worthy.”
Wet Leg Proves That a Good Rock Song Doesn’t Have To Be Technically Advanced
As Wet Leg’s vocalist and co-guitarist, Rhian Teasdale knows what goes into a good song. She’s also praised the band’s collaborative writing on Moisturizer. Having everyone contributing made the process easier and more creative. But Teasdale also admitted that she’s “not from a musical household.” In fact, she almost got kicked out of her music classes in school.
“It’s been a bit of a journey demystifying music-making for myself,” she said. Specifically, she added that one of the first songs she learned on guitar was “Molly Chambers” by Kings of Leon. That was a turning point for her interest in music. “It was a real epiphany to learn that you don’t have to be a virtuoso guitarist to enjoy playing music with your friends.”
That led to a revelation about what really goes into a good rock song. Contrary to those “loser gatekeepers,” she said, “In reality, there are so many banging songs that literally are just two chords.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean 20-chord rock songs with shredding solos don’t inherently have value. The effort that goes into mastering technical guitar skills is undoubtedly incredible. It’s clear Teasdale isn’t discounting that. What she’s arguing against is the idea that good rock songs can only be chock-full of chords and complex riffs and extravagant fretwork. There’s room for the two-chord banger as well.
Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
The post What Makes a Good Song? According to This Alt-Rocker, It’s Not What ‘Loser Gatekeepers’ Say It Is appeared first on VICE.
