Warpaint
Wairpaint
(Rough Trade)

Warpaint, the self-titled sophomore release by Warpaint, is lavish and build upon their debut, The Fool. The group’s atmospheric art rock sound, vaguely reminiscent of a jam band, has become much more layered and lavish.

The Fool features very sparse and minimalistic instrumentation, while Warpaint layers guitars upon guitars, drenched in reverb. The mixture of acoustic drums and a drum pad allows intricate backing beats to drive each track.

The record is incredibly dreamy, nearly trance-like. The lyricism circles around mortality and self-assurance, when you can discern the words being crooned by vocalists Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal. Their harmonies echo over the eerie atmosphere created throughout the record, aided by drummer Stella Mozgawa and bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. The all-female group is breaking gender stereotypes for women in rock, and the outcome is a brilliant blend of psychedelic shoegaze and dream pop.

Standout tracks include “Love Is To Die” and “Hi,” but Warpaint in its entirety is an album you don’t want to miss.