Wet World and the wonk & wonder / vulnerable indie pop chatter of "Hokas"

 

"I'm tryna get lit in the parking lot / While everybody else taking wheatgrass shots / But I don't need it / I don't need it [Ooooh]"

The wonk and wonder / vulnerable indie pop chatter of "Hokas" by Los Angeles alt pop rock duo Wet World, and from their latest (just released) 2026 debut album "The Scarlet Cloak", instantly takes your hand and pulls you through city streets or dirt trails through canyons. The pervasive bass / drums dance, jangly guitar rhythms that feels beautifully more dirty during the catchy lead lines, sort of singular subtle synth lines (love that) and, of course, Steph Barker's vocal countenance that feels all at once conversational, snarky (in a good way) and open hearted. The artistic / attitudinal sense here (to me) is vibey art punk meets indie pop, fun and light but not in a surfacy way because I feel an existential undercurrent here too adjacent to other aritsts that I would consider to be witty, vulnerable, purposely silly, but have something to say like Caroline Rose, Dehd, Yuno, and iconic artists like B52's or Talking Heads or Devo.

Wet World shares this about "Hokas": "This song is about grappling with the feelings of getting older. Realizing that you can still have fun, mess up and live life to it's fullest no matter what your age is."

LINER NOTES:

[Wet World is Steph and Luke, who met on Craigslist of all places when Steph auditioned to play drums in Luke’s old band, Coast Modern. The two started messing around in the studio for fun and some wild songs came out. Now Steph sings (and plays drums, among other things), while Luke plays guitar (and produces, among other things). They’re excited to share the sound of Wet World with the real world.]

-Robb Donker Curtius

"I don't want to go to Erewhon... uhhh, whaterver."


I'm tryna get lit in the parking lot
While everybody else taking wheatgrass shots
But I don't need it
I don't need it
[Ooooh]
I've been on my fitness all my life
Touched a cigarette maybe once or twice
But now I need it
I think I need it now
Everybody talkin' 'bout how they getting old
When I get to thinkin' makes me wanna go balls
To the wall
Just to prove 'em wrong
Hey
Shake, shake, shake
Shake me up
Wake, wake, wake
Wake me up
It ain't too late
To fuck it all up
And have a little fun
Miss me with those ugly Hoka shoes
The liquor store's the only run I'm tryna do
And you never call me
You never call me
Like you used to do
Nobody stays up late no more
They're home eating take out, doing chores
What happened to midnight
What happened to being cool
Hey
Shake, shake, shake
Shake me up
Wake, wake, wake
Wake me up
It ain't too late
To fuck it all up
And have a little fun
Everybody talkin' 'bout how they getting old
When I get to thinkin' makes me wanna throw up
Livin’ like you're dying
Ain't just for the young
It ain't too late
To have a little fun
To have a little fun

Written by: Luke Atlas, Stephanie Barker

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https://open.spotify.com/artist/2oPV90oeIctzVCsPqpCgko

https://www.instagram.com/wetworld.biz/

https://www.facebook.com/wetworld.biz

https://wetworld.bandcamp.com/

Wet World is Steph and Luke, who met on Craigslist of all places when Steph auditioned to play drums in Luke’s old band, Coast Modern. The two started messing around in the studio for fun and some wild songs came out. Now Steph sings (and plays drums, among other things), while Luke plays guitar (and produces, among other things). They’re excited to share the sound of Wet World with the real world 

Wet World, electronic pop, indie pop, indie rock, alt rock, ebullient pop sound, debut album "The Scarlet Cloak", single "Hokas", power pop, guitarist / producer Luke Atlas, drummer / musician / Steph Barker,