Wet is better

Kelly Zutrau owns her lead role well on the co-headlining tour

Wet+is+better

Joeanna Lopez, Times Staff

Wet and Kilo Kish co-headlined The Regency Ballroom on March 26, 2019, with an opening set by Helena Deland, so naturally, by the shows end San Francisco was wet.

It had really rained.

Back in 2015 when Wet was named the most promising group in music by The Fader, California was in a drought.

Whether the Brooklyn-based indie duo makes it rain remains unknown, it is of wide concern that the conscious choice to continue to sleep on Wet is still being made.

Billboard’s Chart History has the band logged with a single entry for their 2016 debut, “Don’t You,” peaking at #76 on the Billboard 200.

Pitchfork’s review of a 4.0 did not help, making it easier to miss the way the strings at the end of “Love Is Not Enough,” the best song to end any album in 2018, are scratched and blurred to perfection.

Last year, on the release night of “Still Run” the realization of the New Moon in Cancer came to me as the perfection on the last track faded out and it began to rain. It was the middle of July.

Although it was only the first listen through the droplets fell with such a clarity.

“Still Run” was my answer and it was so clear all the truths in the arrangements and lyrics needed to be taken in via live show.

The way Kelly Zutrau croons her demands for liberation in lovelorn fashion over upbeat tempos with the added bass guitar and steel pedals — Wet has never sounded better.

That’s because Zutrau did that. She stopped sparing the bands’ feelings and began taking credit for her work.

In an ultimatum to Marty Sulkow and Joe Valle, the other two members of the band, Zutrau would take over creative direction. The result left Zutrau and Valle to remain and craft the band’s current sound not forgetting to blend signature Wet into the set.

Zutrau made sure to tell the room how the most well-known Wet song was written before Wet was even Wet.

“We get so much feedback about this song all the time, and I love knowing how it has helped so many of you out,” she says before giving a tearjerker performance of “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl.”

Wet knew to open their set with “11 Hours,” wrecking the crowd immediately. The same immediacy returned after DWBYG as “Softens” thoughtfully followed up serving as the tissue needed to dry the tears.

Zutrau acknowledged the playful energy in the ballroom calling the crowd “the loudest of the tour,” and spoke of “hanging out for 20 minutes near the merch booth if anybody wants signatures or to say hi after.”

But not before Zutrau came back out alone and sat with her steel lap guitar to give the crowd the encore that was asked for.

She began with title track Still Run, Trust No Man and All The Ways with the band joining her back on stage for Weak and then ending the show at the first minute mark of You’re The Best.

Valle and Zutrau really are the best and the experience of their show allowed for the audience to feel through color, stage lighting and instrumentation not to mention all the added personal touches.

Wet has the ideal music for all times. Have a crush? Listen to Wet. Crushed about your crush? Listen to Wet. Happy about life and love? Listen to Wet. Need a song for this feel good super bloom spring weather? You guessed it, just listen to Wet.

And if the chance presents itself to you, always see Wet live.

Practice self-love and listen to latest playlist included for The Times Is Now, inspired by the show.