The Fool - Warpaint
3.5/5
This LA quartet band, who play the Laneway Festival in Auckland on Monday, may be pretty but that's not the best description of their music. Oh, there is the odd honey-sweet moment, notably on the catchy Undertow with its rising and falling harmonies and sedate pace. But
even on that track the album carries an edge that ensures it's no easy-listening experience.
There may be nothing new in music but it's clear Warpaint are trying for something different - such as on Composure with its slightly off-skew beats and long-distance vocals in the opening moments, or the instrumentation on album-opener Set Your Arms Down, with a roaming bassline that could have been borrowed from Tool (on a quiet day).
It may be overly damning with faint praise to say it's an interesting listen - it's one of those albums you can enjoy if you put the effort in.
Overall it's the soundtrack to a dark, eerie night in the woods, and may well leave you just as comfortable.
