By Erine Caine
Elm Staff Writer
Formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, the all-female indie band Warpaint comprises vocalists and guitarists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman, bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg, and drummer Stella Mozgawa. In the fall of 2010, they released their debut album, “The Fool,” which met with critical acclaim and secured the band a slot in various major festivals such as Glastonbury and Coachella. They released their third studio album, “Heads Up,” early thisSeptember. Mozgawa, speaking about the recording process, said, “The doors were a little more open in terms of what was accepted and what wasn’t, because we were sharing ideas so rapidly between us.” Lindberg added that she and her bandmates were “allowed to have their space, time, and creative freedom with songs.” Indeed, the artistic autonomy of each member of the band, the opportunity to contribute her own stylistic energy, is apparent in “Heads Up,” which is an effort infused not just with a tantalizing atmosphere and mellow electric-pop euphoria, but with a sense of individual parts that have come together just right.
The album starts off with the pulse-like drum beat and dreamy electric guitar of “Whiteout,” a mellow yet subtly expanding opening song; one feels utterly wrapped up in its throbbing ambiance by mid-track. The high point of the album for many, however—critics and casual listeners alike—is during the third track, “New Song,” which preceded the release of the album. It’s a track that sounds effervescent and energetic in a way that no other song on the album does, saturated in bubbling pop vocals and glamorous synths—almost incongruous with the moody indie vibes of the rest of the effort. Still, they somehow pull it off and make a fun, catchy tune that’s just about as atmospheric and immersive as the rest of their work. From that brief moment of sandy-beach-aesthetic pop, “Heads Up” immediately plunges once again into a darker, more Garbage-esque sound from “The Stall” onwards, a sound heavy on the bass and murky with synths and harmony, music that comes from the bottom of an ocean. Through this middle section of the album is a series of tracks that collectively form what might be considered a lag—or, more exactly, a steady stream of deep, dark, moody songs that create a continual ambiance but sacrifice the high energy that “Heads Up” had with “New Song.” Then again, the draw of this group isn’t in the energy they create, but in the atmosphere, the consistent quality that’s produced when all the different sounds are put together.
There’s a surprising pick-up mid-song at title track “Heads Up;” it begins as a slow song that seems to drag drearily through its first minute, and then it’s interrupted by the bass and drums with a renewed vigor, injecting a much-needed note of the unexpected into the album. The closer is “Today Dear,” which simply features an acoustic guitar and vocals, a refreshing stylistic change from brooding indie to something that grazes the realm of folk. It’s tinged with a vulnerability we haven’t seen yet from the effort. It is here that vocals are emphasized as they haven’t been before, and Kokal’s crystalline voice, as well as the layers of harmony, ease the album into a tranquil and idyllic conclusion.