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.
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Set Your Arms Down
Warpaint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say tonight we bring our pocket
Our pocket knives
You want to fight me
You want to fight
Forgotten sense of me
Saya saya
Into the night
We walk through fire
By candlelight
They want to fight me
They want to fight
Forgotten sense of me
Saya saya
And through the fire
We see the light
That no one's hiding
To save our lives
You want to love me
You've got to try
Forgotten sense of me
Saya saya
Say you're me now
Set your arms down
The lyrics to Warpaint's song "Set Your Arms Down" revolve around the themes of conflict, self-discovery, and love. The first stanza portrays a tense situation between two individuals, as one person suggests they bring their pocket knives and fight. The repetition of the phrase "You want to fight me" emphasizes the aggression and hostility between the two parties. The second stanza takes place in the backyard, where the singers walk through fire by candlelight, possibly as a symbol of their journey through dangerous situations. The repetition of the phrase "They want to fight me" suggests external conflicts beyond just the two individuals.
The third and final stanza shifts tone, as the singers start to see the light in their situation, and the lyric "To save our lives" suggests they were in danger all along. The phrase "You want to love me, you've got to try" suggests that love is a struggle, and requires effort from both parties. The final line "Say you're me now, set your arms down" repeats the title of the song, and could be interpreted as a call for the individuals to come together, accept each other, and let go of their aggression.
Line by Line Meaning
Out on the back porch
We are outside, standing on the porch.
You say tonight we bring our pocket
You suggest that we bring something with us tonight.
Our pocket knives
You specifically suggest that we bring our knives.
You want to fight me
You express a desire to engage in a physical altercation with me.
You want to fight
Your desire to fight is still present.
Forgotten sense of me
You seem to have forgotten who I am.
Saya saya
An incoherent phrase or sound, possibly expressing frustration or confusion.
And in the backyard
Now we have moved to the backyard.
Into the night
We begin walking, and it is dark out.
We walk through fire
We encounter a dangerous situation or obstacle, and we bravely navigate it.
By candlelight
The only source of illumination is from the candles we carry.
They want to fight me
Others seem to have a desire to fight with me.
They want to fight
The desire to fight from others is still present.
Forgotten sense of me
Others do not recognize or acknowledge who I am.
Saya saya
An incoherent phrase or sound, possibly expressing frustration or confusion.
And through the fire
We continue to navigate a difficult situation.
We see the light
We discover a path forward, a solution to the obstacle we face.
That no one's hiding
The solution was always present, and no one was purposely keeping it from us.
To save our lives
The discovery of the solution is crucial for our safety or well-being.
You want to love me
You now express a desire for a more positive interaction or relationship with me.
You've got to try
Developing a more positive relationship will require effort and action on your part.
Forgotten sense of me
You may have previously overlooked or disregarded aspects of who I am.
Saya saya
An incoherent phrase or sound, possibly representing a shift in emotional tone or energy.
Say you're me now
You request that I take your perspective, or imagine myself in your shoes.
Set your arms down
You suggest that we both lower our defenses, or let go of any physical or emotional weapons we may be holding.
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