Warpaint
‘The Fool’
(Rough Trade)

Channelling equal parts PJ Harvey and The Cure, Warpaint’s debut is one of the most beautiful and striking records of the year. The Californian quartet’s deep, hypnotic haunted shanties might not echo the goth-pop skills of Robert Smith and Polly Jean, more their raindrops on the window sense of gloom and despair, the songs constantly caught in the eye of an emotional storm. Four Los Angeles-based girls, Warpaint craft intricately composed but heartbroken strokes of groove-laden psych-rock packed with a sense of raw emotional power a million miles away from the airbrushed perfection of their hometown. Whilst their virtuous instrumental work is impressive, it’s when the girls’ voices come together as one that Warpaint truly shine. Fans of the lo-fi melodrama on last year’s ‘Exquisite Corpse’ EP will soon have a whole raft of new melodies to swoon to, as, once exposed, the hook-filled likes of ‘Undertow’ and ‘Bees’ refuse to be shifted from your brain. Sounding as scorned as they do heavenly, ‘Composure’ and album closer ‘Lissie’s Heart Murmur’ swell and soar to crushing finales, leaving us with the distinct feeling that ‘The Fool’ marks the realisation of a truly special band.

David Renshaw