The band weaves intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia and intimacy. The group has gone through many line-up changes, including actress Shannyn Sossamon and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
In early 2009, their self-released debut EP "Exquisite Corpse" soared straight to #1 on legendary Los Angeles Amoeba Records’ local artists chart. By September 2009, Manimal Vinyl reissued it on CD and vinyl, complete with a new bonus track, ‘Krimson’. Mixed by John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), the EP successfully captures the band’s sonic textures and playful dynamism that they’re notorious for creating in a live setting. With a buzz already in the air, Warpaint is now beginning to stir the masses with praise in the US and abroad. Dazed and Confused calls "Exquisite Corpse" "a collection of magical psychedelia drifting over sublime moments of raw melody courtesy of the three free ethereal vocalists,” while The Independent adds, “They make a quite lovely sound with dreamy vocals, off-kilter hazy guitars.”
On October 25, 2010, the band released their debut album, The Fool. The album received a glowing review in the NME. 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. A remix of the single, "Shadows (Neon Lights Remix)", proved popular; managing to be playlisted by BBC Radio 1 as part of the 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 Bonnaroo, Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Rock Werchter and Electric Picnic.
In 2011, the rerelease of Undertow charted in the UK at number 92 and also in Australia at number 75. On September 25, 2011 they played the prestigious Hollywood Bowl (as a support act).
As early as 2011, drummer Stella Mozgawa, in an interview with NME, expressed the band's intention to "experiment and write with one another" as the current line-up had never composed songs "from the ground up" together. Bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg further indicated that most of the newer songs were written by "just jam[ming] and free-flow[ing] onstage".
In February 2013, Guitarist Theresa 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. Lead vocalist Emily Kokal noted that R&B and rap music was an influence on Warpaint and stated that on the album there are "things that have drum machines and ambience, music that's more than standard rock." Kokal added that the album is largely keys-based, which contributed to the overall sound being "definitely different" from the band's previous album The Fool (2010).
Produced by Flood and mixed by Nigel Godrich, Warpaint is due to be released in Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Switzerland on January 17, 2014; January 20 in Denmark, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom; and January 21 in Spain and the United States on Rough Trade Records. A snippet of the album's lead single, "Love Is to Die", was featured in an advertisement for Calvin Klein on September 25, 2013 and later as part of a teaser for an upcoming documentary of the same name about the recording of Warpaint. 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 Jenny Lee Lindberg's husband and filmmaker, Chris Cunningham. Lindberg later confirmed in a November 24 interview on XFM that Cunningham's documentary would be made available shortly after the album's release.
www.warpaintwarpaint.com
Biggy
Warpaint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Colored into a color never seen
A sun so full arises
True feeling runs across my chest
In my silence there's a color I never see
The sunrise is finding me
Dance above the clouds
Hold my world to something (hold my world to something)
Better make a sound
I found it, moved it alone
Her heart, her heart, her heart believe in love
The color of my name
Is getting caught up between myself
But it's destroying me
Into the color that you're making me
There's a world out that I'll never see
Shattered fools in memory
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
The lyrics to Warpaint's song "Biggy" address the theme of identity and the ways in which our sense of self can be influenced by external forces. The first two lines establish this idea by referencing the color of the singer's "native skin" which has been "colored into a color never seen." This suggests that the singer feels different or misunderstood in some way, and that their identity has been altered or shaped by something beyond their control. The "sun so full" that "arises" could perhaps represent an awakening or a realization of this fact.
The second verse continues with this theme of identity, as the singer reflects on their "silence" and the "color" that they "never see." It seems as though the singer is struggling to understand or articulate their own sense of self, and that this is causing some distress. However, the sunrise is "finding" them, suggesting that there is hope for self-discovery and self-acceptance.
The chorus offers a bit of a departure from these more introspective verses, instead focusing on the idea of sound and movement. The world is "spinning" and "dancing" above the clouds, but the singer wants to "hold my world to something" - perhaps indicating a desire for stability or a sense of grounding. The line "Her heart, her heart, her heart believe in love" could be interpreted in a few different ways - perhaps it reflects the singer's own hope for love and connection, or it could be a kind of mantra or affirmation.
The final verse returns to the theme of identity, as the singer describes the color of their name being "caught up between" themselves and someone else, and how this is "destroying" them. It seems as though the singer is struggling with the ways in which others perceive them, and how this perception can impact their own sense of self. The closing repetition of "Heat of a lover" could be interpreted in a number of ways - perhaps it relates to the idea of love and connection once again, or maybe it's a more abstract expression of emotion or passion.
Line by Line Meaning
The color of my native skin
The color of my skin, which I was born with
Colored into a color never seen
My skin is a unique color that has never been seen before
A sun so full arises
It's a bright, sunny day
True feeling runs across my chest
I have a strong feeling in my heart
In my silence there's a color I never see
When I'm quiet, I notice new things and see the world in a different light
The sunrise is finding me
The sunrise is making me feel renewed and hopeful
And the world on spinning
The world keeps turning and moving on
Dance above the clouds
I feel free and weightless, like I'm dancing above the clouds
Hold my world to something (hold my world to something)
I'm trying to hold onto something meaningful in my life
Better make a sound
I need to take action and make my presence known
I found it, moved it alone
I discovered something important and had to handle it myself
Her heart, her heart, her heart believe in love
She strongly believes in love and follows her heart
The color of my name
The way people perceive me based on my name and reputation
Is getting caught up between myself
I'm struggling to define myself and my identity
But it's destroying me
This struggle is taking a toll on me emotionally
Into the color that you're making me
Others are influencing the way I see myself and changing me
There's a world out that I'll never see
There are experiences and perspectives in life that I may never have
Shattered fools in memory
There are people in my past who made foolish decisions and hurt me deeply
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Heat of a lover
The intense passion and desire of being in love
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EMILY CAMILLE KOKAL, JENNIFER LEE LINDBERG, STELLA ZOFIA MOZGAWA, THERESA BECKER-WAYMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
László Pogonyi
Blue
The color of my native skin
Colored into a color I've never seen
A sun so full and rising
True
The feeling runs across my chest
In my silence
There's a color I've never seen
The sunrise is finding me
Other worlds are spinning
Dance above the clouds
Hold my word to something
Let it make a sound
I felt it, the words that I want
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah I believe in love
Blue
The color of my native skin
Caught up between myself
But it's drawing me in
Into the color that you're making it
There's a world that I've never seen
Shining full and lightning
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Made of a lover
Zoë Bowie
The color of my native skin
Colored into a color never seen
A sun so full arises
True feeling runs across my chest
In my silence there's a color I never see
The sunrise is finding me
And the world on spinning
Dance above the clouds
Hold my world to something (hold my world to something)
Let it make a sound
I found it, moved it alone
Her heart, her heart, her heart believe in love
The color of my name
Is getting caught up between myself
But it's destroying me
Into the color that you're making me
There's a world that I'll never see
Shattered fools in memory
Heat of a lover
C F
The color of my native skin
Colored into a color never seen
A sun so full arises
True feeling runs across my chest
In my silence there's a color I never see
The sunrise is finding me
And the world on spinning
Dance above the clouds
Hold my world to something (hold my world to something)
Better make a sound
I found it, moved it alone
Her heart, her heart, her heart believe in love
The color of my name
Is getting caught up between myself
But it's destroying me
Into the color that you're making me
There's a world out that I'll never see
Shattered fools in memory
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
BlvdAtrocity
'biggy' lyrics
THE COLOR of my native skin
Colored into a color never seen
A sun full arises
TRUE FEELING runs across my chest
In my silence there's a color I never see
The sunrise is finding me
And the world on spinning
Dance above the clouds
Hold my world to something
Better make a sound
I found it, moved it alone
Her heart, her heart, her heart
Believe in love
THE COLOR of my name
Is getting caught up between myself
But it's destroying me
Into the color you're making
There's a world out that I'll never see
Shattered fools in memory
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Heat of a lover
Keelin Blackburn
Still one of my favorites songs ever all these years later
Mehbobo Torp
Groovy basslines are what separate bands from other bands. Interpol, Joy Division, Chili Peppers, Tool...
It's all about the bassline. Find a badass bassline and your song will come out 10x more easily. I love Warpaint for this and so many other reasons. Angels. All four of them, angels.
Gareth Byrne
absolutely
Alejandro Ortega
It is a synth played by Emily, based on a previous bass line, amazing song
Malcolm K
lol even if it was a synth, it's still a bassline.
Gerald Williams
no... that's a bass
TetroXO
+Mehbobo Torp its a synth bro
Vmac
i think its 1 of the best songs they created
Kat.
I love these talented ladies and this album so much. I recommend everyone to go see Warpaint live. Was like being in a hypnotic bubble 💜
Kareen Lee
Carajo, es bellísima esta canción -