TUNE: Breaking news! An all-female rock group can in fact come from Los Angeles and not sound like a regurgitated sprint of sunny 80’s melodies and overworked harmonies. It happens, and it’s unfolding right now with the four piece band Warpaint. Though “Hi” finds itself in excellent company of a nearly flawless (not yet released) 12 song LP, this track feels like a swift stumble into an alternate universe with its multilayered craftsmanship and rich, rich musicality. A choir of drum machines? Check. Ambient reverb? Oh yes. Vocals that reel you into a sort of hypnosis right up until the clash of the cymbals? Absolutely. In its five minutes, “Hi” feels like you’ve heard at least four different songs churned into a gorgeous haze, the kind of mess you’ll return to because you’ll uncover something new each time.
BY: Warpaint is an all female quartet made up of Theresa Wayman, Jenny Lee Lindberg, Stella Mozgawa, and Emily Kokal. The group hails from Los Angeles and is known for their atmospheric indie rock, which incorporates notable R&B influences as well. After forming in 2004, the band went on to release two albums in 2010, “Exquisite Corpse” and “The Fool,” and are most widely recognized for their song “Undertow.”
Currently: “Warpaint,” the band’s third album, is due out on January 20 via Rough Trade, but you can stream the entire thing now on NPR. They’ll be touring all over the world in 2014 and stopping by Webster Hall on March 21. That date, as you know, will be here quicker than you realize, so get your tickets now.
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—Regina Mogilevskaya