Wet Premiere “Deadwater,” From Their Debut Album, Don’t You

Wet, the Massachusetts trio we've called "the most promising group in music," will finally release their debut album this fall, on Columbia. It's called Don't You, and "Deadwater" is the lead single, debuting online here and available for download tomorrow.

At first I didn't know what that title meant, beyond its sounding sad. Turns out dead water is a nautical oddity, found when light freshwater sits on top of heavy saltwater—the two types don't mix. If a boat is trying to drive through, and those incompatible layers are butting into each other at just the right depth, the boat's propellor will sort of just spin helplessly between them, as if held back by some mysterious force.

I don't know if Kelly Zutrau, the singer and songwriter of Wet, had real-life dead water in mind when she was writing the song—maybe it's just about messing up when you're drunk. But this boat thing is certainly a poetic concept, and one in keeping with her music's overall feeling: pop songs that find purpose among aimlessness. Sometimes you find direction in a relationship, sometimes in getting out of one. Wet's music overall, and this song in particular, is a sick fit for either scenario.

Lead photo: Milan Zrnic