Warpaint release new album Heads Up is a psychedelic swarm of indie and art, testament to their craft between subtle frolicking between whatever genre suits their pallet. This latest collection of songwriting attempts to capture the spirit of their live performances in beats that catch and melodies that hold you in. Yet start to finish Heads Up much like previous records extends out far beyond their time, getting lost in the atmosphere that they’re hoping to create.
Not that these girls don’t have talent, though instead of pop sensibility Warpaint opts to focus squarely on the art form to varying effects. Bass thumps, guitar warbles, hushed vocals and Warpaint sound notably more uppity than their usual releases in the opening “Whiteout” track – a stellar opener that welcomes you in. Rhythmic claps meet blips and sentiments of solidarity as “By Your Side” bass tones prominently drive down an echoed path of lush layer upon layer.
In the stretch of beat sampling the drumming of Stella Mozgawa gets notably more experimental than all the rest, likely stemming from a foot injury that prompted her to approach beat making differently. Repetitive lines of simplicity in “New Song” goes somewhere between meta and metaphor, an obvious first single choice caught up in ever so catchy dance grooves. “The Stall” gets more serious in tone as vocalist Emily Kokal stands firmly on the harder parts of love, backed by tightly knit rhythms as melodies echo …. and echo.
As musicians, Warpaint no doubt are adept at their craftsmanship wherever it goes, though midway through it goes just about everywhere. Heavy bass beats pound through dance worthy bass thumps that truly are “So Good,” though as the guitars and voices echo onward the track continues on long past the end point of the song. Then subtle blips lead through “Don’t Wanna” with hallowed drums as the band uniformly murmur, in what alludes to their more experimental prowess as performers.
Experimentalism starts to slow things down a bit in pools of psychedelia and even hints of hip hop elements. Dreamy melodies push forward “Don’t Let Go” in distorted messes that drone in slow psychedelic tones that echo hazily as if to put you in a dreamlike state. “Dre” continues the trend in effects that drag out themselves so far along that you forget how you ended up there in the first place, despite the nod to famed producer.
Though while not a weaker middle of tracks, the artistic Warpaint trails tread upon here make the songs seem to continue on without end sight. Title track “Heads Up” seemingly slows down further past a full minute of piano echoing ache before picking right up with resolute spirit of keeping that chin up. Then In what sounds akin to an extended jam session the “Above Control” melody continues forevermore in that hangs on a single moment, alternating its degrees of frequency.
To close the set some delicate acoustic guitar strums give way to soft musings in “Today Dear” against the subtle backdrop of sustaining synth chords that meld together as all three get lost in the echoes. While poignantly presented, by the end of Heads Up it’s hard to appreciate the addition that follows the downward trail of art pop. Honestly, while there have been some amazing moments it’s a tiresome affair soaking up the relentless atmosphere of Warpaint experimentalism the whole way through.
Warpaint’s Heads Up is thoughtful piece of work, though undoubtedly a bit more avant-garde than indie rock. Some tracks are amazing, though disjointed collectively. But in the spirit of the record, keep your head up – Warpaint is set to go for quite a while.