Words by Cristi Barco; Cover photo by Michelle LoBianco
Fun fact: I binge-listen to all the bands I cover for the Deli with Wetsuit being no exception. The wonky-tender Brooklyn rock combo made its way into my late summer headphone-time and has stayed there for good.
This sonic sugar addiction to Wetsuit started with “Cider” as the gateway drug (and then “Sweet Sixteen” and then “107.7” etc. etc.) with the New York Summer-themed song perfectly capturing the manic just-passed sweaty season full of urges to swallow NYC and its garden of earthy delights and summer diversions where you wanna use your mouth, you ears, the back of your kneecaps, and every square inch of surface area on your body (why settle on just your eyes?!?) to take in the laughing-crying-screaming whimsy and madness of it all where even that signature NYC aroma of deli-cat piss scent becomes a perfumed delicacy.
The big-hearted Brooklyn based four-piece finds a way to put this feeling and then some in their debut album, Yarn for Future Scarves. The album evokes feelings of a cozy-knitting session, making sure every stitch is just right, because you love this little flap of fabric so darn much, you are getting cuteness aggression for this flap of fabric.
Every track is carefully constructed and exquisitely timed, sending you into vibrating choruses through charming bridges and sensory verses. The band’s sincerity is refreshing. Precious pink-clad Allison Becker drives this pure, childlike energy into full-throttle nostalgic euphoria during live performances and recordings.
To delve deeper into Wetsuit’s darling quirks, I sat down with Allison to give her my hand-crafted Tiger Beat–-style Band Personality Quiz.
WHAT’S WETSUIT’S DAMAGE? LET’S FIND OUT!
- If Wetsuit were to go on vacation, what would it be?
A) Disney World in Orlando
B) Road trip across the country
C) Hiking trip
D) Hawaii
E) Fill in the blank: DOLLYWOOD
Allison: I’m not a Disney World adult, but I did go to Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s theme park, for my Bachelorette Party and it was amazing. Me and all my bridesmaids just rode roller coasters all day and at the end of the day we did the log flume and got soaked head-to-toe. I will never forget freezing our asses off in the Dolly Parton museum, completely soaked.
2. If Wetsuit were to fall in love with a boy-band who would it be?
A) NSYNC
B) The 1975
C) One Direction
D) The Beatles
Allison: NYSNC. Literally no question. I grew up with them. They were my boyfriends.
Cristi: All of them?
Allison: Particularly Justin Timberlake and JC. I met JC as a kid, they were staying at a hotel my parents worked at on tour. We saw him in the lobby and my mom stopped him and asked for his autograph. He was wearing paint-splattered jeans.
Cristi: Is that hot?
Allison: It was pretty hot. I was really into it. I kept his autograph in my diary.
Cristi: Do you go back to it often?
Allison: Not really, my diaries are pretty wild, I had an ungodly amount of confidence for a third grader. I have no idea where it came from, every entry was like: I went to recess with Michael and Patrick and Jonathan and they all have crushes on me and I don’t like any of them. I should use it as inspiration.
3. If Wetsuit were a movie, what would it be a sequel to?
A) Moonrise Kingdom
B) 13 Going on 30
C) Legally Blonde
D) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Allison: The Reese Witherspoon of it all. Also, I’m a chihuahua mom. Bernie could never be a trained movie dog. He’s like, I’ll be in the show as long as you carry me wherever you go.
4. If Wetsuit was a season, which would it be?
A) Late summer, sticky and golden
B) Early fall, denim jackets and crisp air
C) Biting winter through cozy window nooks
D) Spring, the smell of rain on freshly bloomed roses
Allison: This is hard, seasons just make me feel really romantic and nostalgic, so I always just write about all of them. But summer is Cider-coded. Plus, our first single was called sticky-sweet.
5. If Wetsuit was a party, what would its vibe be?
A) On the floor scream singing to Panic at the Disco and Arctic Monkey
B) Confetti in your hair, you’re in someone’s kitchen at the after-party making you pancakes at 2 a.m.
C) You’re petting the party dog on the side, minding your business, protecting your peace
D) You’re on the side of the dance floor having a half-gossip/half-therapy session with a girl you just met in the bathroom
Allison: Between A and D. Like D, this is probably what I would be doing, zoning in on one person, especially if it’s someone who’s like I need advice, I’m gonna give you that fucking advice. But A is kinda just high-school to me, plus I’m learning an Arctic Monkey solo [version] of “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” Next on the list is “Pink Pony Club.”
Cristi: We’re you an OG Chappell Roan lover?
Allison: I was OG for sure. I told everyone I know about her. Las Culturistas was talking about her a year before she blew up and I was like okay I gotta check her out.
6. If Wetsuit were an ice cream flavor, which would you be?
A) Salty vanilla with Pop Rocks
B) Coffee swirl with a hint of tears
C) Cotton candy + cigarette ash
D) Sea-salt caramel and daddy issues
Cristi: Are you a coffee drinker?
Allison: Yup, and I’ve been doing a lot of crying lately. It felt good. Me and Anders (guitarist and husband) met at a coffee shop. It would be cotton candy (C) but I’m not punk enough for cigarette ash.
7. If Wetsuit were a thrift store find, what would you pull off the shelf?
A) A cassette tape with a funky design on it
B) A pair of vintage pink fuzzy heels
C) An old band poster with red lip-stick stains all over it
D) A cracked neon pink lava lamp that still kind of works somehow
Allison: It’s gotta be the pink heels. What size shoe are you? I have this pair of shoes sitting on my Depop.
Cristi: Not my size, but I’ll link them in the article.
8. If Wetsuit were a childhood memory, which one would it be?
A) Deep late night talks during middle school sleepovers
B) Racing your friends during recess
C) Swimming pool parties, full-bathing suits, playing colors
D) Listening to weird radio talk shows on the drive to school
Allison: Isn’t it so fucked up, like I’m thinking about the shows my mom listened to on the way to school, they are so inappropriate for kids (D). They were inappropriate for all humans when you really think about it.
9. If Wetsuit were a character in a 2000s rom-com, who would they be?
A) Summer Finn (500 Days of Summer) – mysterious, artsy, lives in lowercase letters
B) Jenna Rink (13 going on 30) – upbeat, positive, girly.
C) Mia Thermopalis (The Princess Diaries) – rebellious, charming, goofy.
D) Penny Lane (Almost Famous) – old soul, adventurous, loyal, caring.
Allison: I really wanna say Penny Lane, but again, I don’t think I’m punk enough for that, so I feel like I would say Jenna Rink. But of course Penny Lane…we have the same hair. OKAY, it’s outwardly Penny Lane, but internally, I’m Jenna Rink.
BONUS QUESTION: Anything you want the people to know? What’s next for Wetsuit NYC?
Anyone who really vibes with these answers are my target audience. We’re starting to write the next record. I want to challenge myself and have more of a theme and take on a couple influences that I haven’t yet.
At our core, we will always be a wonky-bratty-loud alt-shoegazey indie rock band with a weird vocalist.
That’s our core, and that’s what you can always expect from us.