Warpaint (band)

Warpaint

Four female musicians performing live on-stage against a black and white backdrop with violet lights.

Warpaint performing live in August 2011
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Indie rock, psychedelic rock, art rock, dream pop
Years active 2004 (2004)–present
Labels Manimal, Rough Trade
Associated acts Mink, Swahili Blonde, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Website warpaintwarpaint.com
Members Emily Kokal
Theresa Wayman
Jenny Lee Lindberg
Stella Mozgawa
Past members Shannyn Sossamon
David Orlando
Michael Quinn
Josh Klinghoffer

Warpaint is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2004.[1] The current lineup comprises Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (vocals, guitar), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, backing vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums), who joined the band in 2009.

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante mixed and mastered the band's debut EP, Exquisite Corpse released in 2008. Current RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer performed drums and guitar on the EP in 2007. It was followed by their full-length album, The Fool, in 2010.[2]

On December 6, 2010, the BBC announced that Warpaint had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll[3] and they were the cover stars of Beat magazine's Winter 2010 launch issue.[4]

History

Beginning and formation (2004–2007)

Warpaint formed in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day 2004. The original lineup consisted of childhood friends Wayman and Kokal alongside sisters Lindberg and Shannyn Sossamon. The band played in the Los Angeles area for three years, writing songs ("Stars", "Beetles", and "Elephants") which would eventually comprise their debut EP.

Exquisite Corpse (2007–2009)

The band began recording their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse, in December 2007, with producer Jacob Bercovici. The sessions took over two months and concluded with mixing and mastering by then-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, who was also Kokal's boyfriend at the time. Warpaint self-released the EP in 2008, which quickly moved to number 1 on the Los Angeles Amoeba Records local artist chart. In 2009, Exquisite Corpse was rereleased worldwide on Manimal Vinyl records to critical acclaim. The song "Elephants" featured in the 2011 independent feature film Siren, a horror film directed by Andrew Hull and released by Lionsgate.

Australian drummer Mozgawa joined the band in the winter of 2009. Shortly afterwards, Warpaint were signed to Rough Trade Records, and immediately began extensive touring throughout the United States and Europe, including an opening slot for The xx.[5]

The Fool (2009–2012)

On October 25, 2010, the band released their debut album, The Fool.[2] The album received a glowing review from NME.[6] Prior to the album's release, the band contributed a cover of the David Bowie song "Ashes to Ashes" to We Were So Turned On, a Bowie tribute album released in conjunction with War Child. "Shadows", the first single from their debut album, was released as a digital download and 12" vinyl on January 10, 2011.[7] A remix of the single, "Shadows (Neon Lights Remix)", proved popular;[8] managing to be playlisted by BBC Radio 1 as part of "In New Music We Trust".

Warpaint toured the United States and Europe in the spring and summer of 2011 to promote the album. They played at various major festivals including Summer Sundae, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Rock Werchter, and Electric Picnic. In 2011, the rerelease of the track Undertow as a single charted in the UK at number 92 and also in Australia at number 75. On September 25, 2011 they played the prestigious Hollywood Bowl, sharing the bill with TV on the Radio, Arctic Monkeys, Panda Bear and Smith Westerns.[9]

Warpaint (2014)

As early as 2011, drummer Mozgawa, in an interview with NME, expressed the band's intention to "experiment and write with one another" as the current lineup had never composed songs "from the ground up" together. Bassist Lindberg further indicated that most of the newer songs were written by "just jam[ming] and free-flow[ing] onstage".[10] In February 2013, Wayman confirmed to NME that the band intended to create a minimalist sound on Warpaint, revealing that the band developed songs at soundchecks, and experimented more with acoustic guitars and percussion instruments on the album.[11] Lead vocalist Kokal noted that R&B and rap music were influences on Warpaint and stated that the album featured "things that have drum machines and ambience, music that's more than standard rock." Kokal added that the album was largely keyboards-based, which contributed to the overall sound being "definitely different" from the band's previous album, The Fool.[12]

Produced and mixed by Flood, except two tracks which were mixed by Nigel Godrich, Warpaint was released by Rough Trade on January 17, 2014 in Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Switzerland; January 20 in Denmark, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom; and January 21 in Spain and the United States. A snippet of the album's lead single, "Love Is to Die", was featured in an advertisement for Calvin Klein on September 25, 2013[13] and later as part of a teaser for an upcoming documentary of the same name about the recording of Warpaint.[14] The single was released on October 28 with the pre-ordered digital version of the album.

On November 20, Warpaint performed "Composure," from The Fool, as well as new songs "Love Is to Die" and "Keep It Healthy", on BBC 6 Music with Steve Lamacq in the United Kingdom. The next day, an article from the December 2013 issue of Dazed & Confused magazine appeared online, providing insight into the making of the new album, as well as the accompanying documentary, filmed by Lindberg's husband and filmmaker, Chris Cunningham (the subject of the song "CC").[15] Lindberg later confirmed in a November 24 interview on XFM that Cunningham's documentary would be made available shortly after the album's release.[16]

A music video, composed of a two-song vignette from the second album—"Disco//very" and "Keep it Healthy"—was released in April 2014. Directed by Laban Pheidias, the video featured skateboarding from professional skateboarders Justin Eldridge, Kris Markovich and Patrick Melcher.[17]

Style

Warpaint have been compared to Cocteau Twins,[18] Joni Mitchell[19] and Siouxsie and the Banshees.[19]

NME has described their style as "Intermittently emerging from plaintive moods into harder rocking, they play expansive, lushly-harmonic psych-rock songs with enough time-changes to satisfy even the most beardy prog-rock bong-tokers."[20]

Discography

Main article: Warpaint discography

Members

Current members
Former members

Timeline

References

  1. ↑ "Warpaint reveal their Valentine's Day secret – video | News". NME. IPC Media. June 17, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Costa, Maddy (October 21, 2010). "Warpaint: The Fool – Review | Music". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Sound of 2011 – Warpaint". BBC Music. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ Hanra, Hanna (December 15, 2010). "Warpaint!". BEAT Magazine. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (June 22, 2010). "The xx Announce Fall Tour | News". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  6. ↑ Snapes, Laura (October 25, 2010). "Album Review: Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Warpaint Announce Second Single". The Line of Best Fit. November 12, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Warpaint "Shadows" (Neon Lights remix) – web exclusive!". Rough Trade Records. December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  9. ↑ "TV on the Radio • Arctic Monkeys • Panda Bear • Warpaint • Smith Westerns". Hollywood Bowl. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Watch Warpaint's Rough Trade Sessions – video". NME. IPC Media. September 22, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Warpaint confirm work on second album". NME. IPC Media. February 11, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Warpaint reveal rap and R&B influence on new album". NME. IPC Media. October 30, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Warpaint – Love Is to Die: New music". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ ""Love Is to Die" teaser". Warpaint. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  15. ↑ "War Games". Dazed Digital. Dazed & Confused. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Communion Presents". XFM. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  17. ↑ "WARPAINT MUSIC VIDEO" (Video upload). The Berrics. The Berrics. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "50 Best New Bands of 2010 | #44 Warpaint". NME. IPC Media.
  19. 1 2 Perry, Andrew (October 18, 2010). "Warpaint: Who's that tomboy over there, who looks like she doesn't care?". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  20. ↑ Edwards, David. "The 10 Biggest Buzzes At SXSW". NME. Retrieved August 1, 2015.

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