Radiate Like This - Warpaint: Review

Warpaint

is a California based indie rock act who settled into the scene nicely in the 2010's with back to back acclaimed records in 2010's The Fool and 2014's Warpaint. Radiate Like This is a comeback album of sorts for the band after having all worked on various other projects in the 6 years since their previous album as Warpaint.

Review By Lav:

While I've never been a die hard follower of Warpaint they are one of those bands who were there from the moment I first got into music and always seemed to be making great stuff. At least up until their third record which I thought was just okay and the very long delay we've had for a follow-up. But as soon as I heard the lead single for this record Champion I was reeled all the way back in and had pretty high expectations going into it. While the band didn't blow me away or anything they proved my instincts correct delivering a mostly pretty solid tracklist that feels like they really haven't been gone for as long as they have. 

We don't need to waste another second. The lead single from this record Champion is my favorite song on the record and one of my favorite Warpaint songs ever. It hasn't left my rotation since I first heard it I love the gentleness of everything in the mix from the soft layered vocals to the snappy little drum patterns. Even as abstract as some of the lyrical refrains can be I find the lyrics to be just interesting enough especially given how catchy the whole thing is despite being so murky. It's great. I also enjoyed the second single Hips, another percussion highlight. This time it's met with a cyclical little groove that just does not let up. For a song that is relatively quiet there is a kind of intensity to it with something constantly grabbing your attention and the results are honestly kind of thrilling. 

The first half of the record is stronger than the second half and it has two more great songs to dish out. Hard To Tell You changes the tone of the record from snarky to something somewhat more genuine which is actually where they start to dial up the volume a bit. The space on the verses just feels so expansive with the breathy vocals and drums echoing into the distance but on the hook it all gets filled in behind those soaring vocal melodies. Like Sweetness is another highlight with an instrumental that grabs me right away. There's an intoxicating drum pattern and the girlish vocals on the hook bring it back to the cloudier vibe of the singles and I really enjoy it. 

There's a bit of a lull in the middle of the record but I enjoy the way it ends as well. Melting has more percussion I like which is seeming to be the theme of the entire review. The final minute of the song is great with crashing drums and methodical chanting that make everything up to that point feel worthwhile. The closing track to the record is a change of pace for many reasons. It feels a lot more claustrophobic than the rest of the songs here and it's also much different in tone, given that it's called Send Nudes. I like the weird synth noodling and when the guitars finally kick in it's very satisfying and I come around to the song more and more every time. 

Trouble is more instrumentally involved than most of the tracks here through the introduction of some keys. While is isn't the most compelling song in the world there is a subtle but effective rise across the last minute. It works to draw me in and then hit me with one of the more epic sounding things on the whole record. Speaking of keys they're the main character of Altar a song that didn't knock me off my feet at first but has grown on me a bit. The only real issue I have with it is that the refrains do start to run a bit dry as they get repeated which makes the tracks four minutes feel longer. 

Stevie didn't blow me away as a single which isn't necessarily because it's the dreamiest of the bunch. Honestly it's just that the hook isn't nearly as good and even though I can feel the authenticity but it doesn't stand out as much to me. The only song on the record I actually didn't like was Proof which is built around me taking the line "the proof is in the pudding" seriously, and I just can't. The song also has its moments but interrupts its own momentum repeatedly for seemingly no reason. 

I like this record. It may not be the best thing I've ever heard but there is a proficiency to the instrumentals here that only a veteran band could have pulled off. Despite that it's far from complacent and continues to find new ways for Warpaint to sound like Warpaint. It's direct but still effective and exciting and I can't think of much else that I could ask for from it. 7/10

Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:

This cover is extremely simple. It has vibes like some picture that you used to see on Tumblr in 2015. That's not a bad thing but it just seems a little dated. I like the red type on top but it's a little hard to read on the areas where the background doesn't contrast well with it. The colors in the actual picture are nice and soothing and it could've been elevated a lot further than what it was. I'm not impressed but it's not horrible either. 4/10

For more indie rock check out my review of Arcade Fire's WE here