Radiate Like This
The vibey, moody LA rock quartet (guitarist/vocalists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman, drummer/vocalist Stella Mozgawa, and bassist/vocalist Jenny Lee Lindberg) formed in 2004, albeit with a slightly altered lineup—which is to say, its members, now into their forties, have been playing together for nearly half their lives. Throughout that time, Warpaint’s hallmark was their electric live chemistry, its members known to shut their eyes, zone out, and jam with cosmic synchronicity. Their fourth full-length arrives after a six-year hiatus, during which its members pursed their respective solo projects and otherwise settled into their adult lives. But their inexorable bond brought them back together, although this time, songwriting and recording transpired mostly over remote Zoom sessions in makeshift home studios. Elements of the thousand-yard-stare desert rock and wallowy post-punk of their early records remain (the downcast “Trouble,” the lurching “Proof”), but there’s a newfound warmth to *Radiate Like This* inspired by motherhood, stability, and friendships that have stood the test of time and touring. Think chilled-out grooves for road trips to Joshua Tree, laidback love songs about sun and rain and eternity (and the occasional request to send nudes).
This comeback is a tribute to what you can accomplish when creating with people you love, proving the band can't be tied to a specific scene
Radiate Like This only demonstrates a fraction of Warpaint's capability
The more icy edges are rounded off in favour of softness and a nurturing sense of femininity.
During the six years between Heads Up and Radiate Like This, the members of Warpaint gave themselves time to live their lives and work on the projects that keep their chemistry as a band potent.
While Radiate Like This is a solid return for Warpaint, it's likely to leave some wanting more.
Warpaint make a glorious return with their long-awaited fourth album Radiate Like This, their first album in six years.
The problem with reviewing a Warpaint album, hot off the press so to speak, is that their music often takes time before all the elements settle into place. Even after numerous listens every time you revisit Warpaint’s albums you’ll invariably find something new, interesting, and innovative that had previously eluded you.
There are points on this Warpaint record where they're as sharp as they've ever sounded. Radiate Like This is a very solid return
Radiate Like This by Warpaint Album Review by Adam Williams. The quartet's forthcoming release drops on May 6, 2022 via Heirlooms/Virgin Music
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