Warpaint
Fri 21 May 2010
Nomadic Dreamers
These four girls from Los Angeles make wonderfully exquisite post-punk music. However we’ve been a little bit slow to catch on to their kindled success, in their short career they’ve already been featured in NME, The New York Times, The Guardian and Dazed and Confused, plus they have been picked up by Rough Trade Records. They’re currently on tour in Europe and will be returning home to tour the US in June, including a slot a Lollapalooza.
Like a semi-concious dream, Warpaint’s music is restless and at times spirals out of control, but it somehow manages to thrive on its own awkwardness. A large chunk of their songs push the six minute mark and they move through time on a passive, non-aggressive path, drawing the focus towards their wavy rhythms and beautifully formed harmonies. Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal share the lead role and their voices rebound like softly spoken soul singers; all dreamy and candy-coated like a posh little Goth girl walking along Venice Beach under the cover of darkness. And it’s refreshing to hear no element of chillwave, in fact Warpaint ride an anti-chillwave buzz, peddling a sound that has more meaning and a stronger emotional connection with the listener. They’re more akin to CocoRosie if the Casady sisters had Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo playing guitars, or a more winter-y Cat Power if she was joined by Denise Roughan and Frankie Rose.
In 2009 the band released their debut EP titled Exquisite Corpse, produced by John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The sole EP currently forms their back catalogue, but they are half-way through recording a debut album which will be released via Rough Trade Records later this year.
Warpaint’s singer and guitarist Theresa Wayman also stars in the upcoming film Pete Smalls is Dead, alongside Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez and Tim Roth.
Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
1 Comment
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:59 pm
About bloody time.