It’s been two years since Brooklyn-based indie pop group Wet last came out with new music. After their debut Don’t You in 2016, they pretty much fell off the map, giving no indication that they were working on future records other than the occasional releases of remixed versions of old songs.
Until this past week’s surprise, “There’s a Reason”: evidence that Wet is back in the studio with a potential new album just around the corner.
The single is also evidence that Wet have used their hiatus as a time to explore their sound, gaining confidence and adding weight to their previously noncommittal synthpop ambivalence. “There’s a Reason,” contrasting the washy ballads that often times turned Don’t You into a haze of directionless rambling, is a bubbly celebration. The steady percussion keeps a lighthearted tempo, the nearly nonexistent synths clink together in the background like champagne glasses. Towards the end of the track, dulcet string instrumentation give the listeners one final serenade.
Throughout it all, the steady optimism of frontwoman Kelly Zutrau’s vocals holds the song’s various components together. “There’s a reason you’re by my side again,” she sings over a beat that leaves no room for Don’t You’s hesitation.
With “There’s a Reason,” Wet proves themselves to be new and improved; self-assured, they back every note with a conviction that gives their melodies substance. It’s almost spring, and Wet is ready to blossom.