The secret sauce which makes the new Warpaint album zing is lack of time. When bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg digs into why the band's third album Heads Up sounds so fresh and vital, she keeps coming back to how quickly everything got done this time around.
“We stated in January and we knew we had to be done in May so it was ‘here you go, here’s the song, go put your piece on it, go play your part, be quick, you don’t have 10 years to figure out what to do’.
“The last album, we had so much time so we spent months on songs. Even if one or two of us had our shit together, others would want to try other ideas so a song would be completely rewritten over a few songs. The process was a lot slower and heavier – we had too much time. Having too much time does not work for us.”
For guitarist Theresa Wayman, this speed also meant less time for discussion and disagreement. “We all have strong voices and opinions. There are no pushovers in this band but what gets old and tiring is the fight. After a few rounds of ‘oh this is my opinion’ or ‘oh, this is my opinion’, I’m like ‘whatever’ and I take a deep breath.
“But that doesn’t feel good either so it’s a real talent to make sure we’re all happy. It’s not like we’re always difficult with one another and never agree, but when we don’t, you have to take a step back and see where everyone else is coming from. It’s difficult to do, but you have to and that takes time.”
Both laugh when Lindberg quips that Warpaint need a break from each other “nearly every day” (“it’s always great to get our own hotel room on tour,” she adds), yet Wayman says the band have come close to going their separate ways.
“We almost split up after our last tour, but that’s because we had crammed so much touring into one year. It wasn’t a very good idea in hindsight. We were trying not to be on the road for two years so we consolidated things and had three seven- week tours in a year, which was a lot.
Tired and sick
"By the end, we were so tired and sick of the process and the compromises involved in making decisions together that we almost split up. But that didn't last very long. We all got some space and started writing together again and here we are again."
There were a couple of solo projects too, which enabled band members to blow off some steam. Lindberg recorded and released a solo album called Right On!, while Wayman also worked on solo tracks and collaborated with Yeasayer/Hot Chip's Sarah Jones and All We Are's Guro Gikling on BOSS. There were also solo outings for drummer Stella Mozgawa (with Kurt Vile and Cate Le Bon) and singer Emily Kokal (with Saul Williams and Paul Bergmann).
“It’s scarier I guess because it’s very revealing as to who I am and what I can and what my voice is,” says Wayman of her solo work. “Within the band, I feel I can always rely on the strength of my bandmates, but it’s also really exhilarating and fun to do it by yourself and not think about what other people are going to say about what you’re doing. Both are great and it’s important to do both. It’s easier to come back to the band and have a less intense hold on what happens.”
“You know when it’s time to round everyone up,” adds Lindberg about gathering the troops to start a new album. “We started talking and we knew it was time to get started again. Some of us wanted to start recording earlier and some of us needed more of a break, which was fine because we had a chance to do our own thing and then come back together to collaborate with a more open mind.”
Touring will keep Warpaint busy and together for the next while. Their recent show at Dublin’s National Concert Hall was one of a bunch of one-offs and festival appearances, with a more sustained burst of touring to come.
“It’s such an adrenalin rush to play shows all the time,” says Lindberg, “but when you’re playing them all the time, it all meshes into one. The time has gone by so fast yet it also feels like 15 years ago. To do this right, you have a schedule and you keep to it and it doesn’t change all that much – you go from airport to hotel to soundcheck to show to green room to hotel and you do it all again the following day. The things that stand out are things that happen a lot, like hanging out with other bands at shows and festivals so it feels like band camp.”
“I had no idea what we were getting into when we signed with a label and all of that and it was a lovely surprise,” says Wayman. “Travelling the world, playing festivals, meeting other musicians, hanging with these women: it was more than I expected. Everything we’ve learned along the way has been so exciting and it’s also great to think about what we can do and are going to do with this album.”
- Heads Up is out September 23rd on Rough Trade
