NeoL

ーーFor this album, “Radiate Like This,” you recorded each member’s part individually, and then mixed them together to complete each song.It was your first attempt, and I’m sure there were a lot of difficulties, but on the other hand, what did you enjoy about it?　Please tell us about any new discoveries or things you realized.


Theresa : Luckily we’d done some recording in studios before the pandemic. We worked in the desert at a place called Rancho De La Luna. And then at a studio in Highland Park called 64 Sound. We stopped at the end of January because Em was having a baby but then the pandemic happened and EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR EVERYONE!


ーーI heard that you spent a lot of time constructing and reconstructing the album from its original state to its current form.　What were the key points in this “construction and reconstructing” process? I’m curious to know what kind of process and changes you went through to make the album what it is today.


Theresa : We were all stuck in different parts of the country/world and had to finish remotely. It was challenging for sure but also allowed us to do some personal/individual exploration on the songs that we usually don’t get time for. Emily was out in Joshua Tree and I was able to go out and work with her but that was the only in person work we did. We even tried mixing remotely! That was hard and we ended up mixing a lot of them in the room with someone once things opened up a bit. In the end I think good things came of the process but it was also hard and I wouldn’t to it this way again! Being together is waayyyyy more fulfilling!





ーーWhen I listened to this album, I was strongly attracted to the organic combination of dreamy and moody ambience typical of Warpaint and electronic arrangements. Once again, could you tell us about the musical ideas and concepts behind this album?


Theresa : We had a lot of individual demos and then started work-shopping them together, started adding to them.. That was the first layer. Then we went to a studio and added more or redid parts, that was the next layer that also included our friend and co-produced Sam. And then we stopped for the pandemic and had time to sit with them in home studios and arrange parts we’d already recorded and add even more little bits and bobs.. and get really detailed with the layering of certain things like harmonies and synth sounds and guitars..
Some things were undone and redone at every step along the way.

ーーPlease tell us about any new approaches, equipment, etc. that you have tried, or any points that you have focused on in songwriting or sound creation individually.


Theresa : I love combinations of opposites. I like how angular and unorthodox we can be but also love how soft and dreamy we are. I love organics with electronics. I love making electronics sound organic in themselves. These explorations inspire and fuel my creativity.
I’m continually focused on being more direct with my songwriting and my sounds. That’s something we all aimed for with this record. It feels good to be really intentional and not hide behind effects.. I tried having a much clearer guitar tone. And vocal clarity too. I wanted to have immediacy and potency through that clarity.

ーーWhich song was the breakthrough for the album?　Can you tell us the background of the creation of those songs, as well as your initial feeling/confidence you got from them?


Theresa : We have a lot of breakthrough songs. I feel Champion was a triumph lyrically. I think Hips and Stevie are triumphs of classic and abstract.
I started Champion in my room one night when I was just writing and making things for fun, wasn’t specifically thinking about the upcoming album that needed tunes. That cleared the way for some inspiration to come through without thinking. Those moments are blessings and exactly why we should be writing all the time! To make pathways for inspiration to strike!


ーーI would like to ask you about some of the songs that made a particularly strong impression on me. First, “Hips”. The abstract electronic beat, jazzy drums, loops and vocal chorus create a minimalistic and organic groove that reminded me of Floating Points and the recent Radiohead. I got a similar impression from “Altar”. What was your inspiration for these song?


Theresa : It wasn’t the direct inspiration but it’s hard not to be moved and influenced by one of the greatest bands in the world, Radiohead! But we also probably love them because we do have some of the same instincts. Combining both electronic and live elements is just so satisfying and something that probably creates a specific feel..and then it seems like intentional overlap… but it’s not exactly.

ーー”Proof” is another very interesting song. The song has a beat that is mixed with programming, the looped vocals, brass arrangement-like sounds that dance freely.　However, the moody ambience that is typical of Warpaint sets the tone for the entire piece. Can you tell us about the process and background behind the creation of this track?


Theresa :It was a song Emily had started in the box. We put it in the computer at our rehearsal space downtown and started adding to it and arranging it. Then recorded more at our studio sessions and then went back to honing arrangement in the box. Em and I worked on finishing the guitars at her house in the desert during the pandemic and she worked out the vocals. Really love some of the harms that she made, they’re top notch jazzy cool.


ーー”Send Nudes” also has a unique eclectic blend of acoustic and electronic arrangements.　I don’t mean just genre-less, but the fact that the same instrument can be used in different tones and arrangements in different songs, giving them a variety of expressions, is a common appeal of this album. With that in mind, please tell us about the background and inspiration behind this songs.


Theresa : I wrote that song on guitar when I was camping with my family. Was working out the chords and we were all singing nonsense words over it..someone was eating Cup of Noodles and we started singing about that which became “couple nudes” and then “send a couple nudes bayybayyy”.

That sentiment turned into a song about letting someone you love go and explore and be themselves and trusting in the love you share. It’s saying – “yes, please venture out but send me a reminder of you and I know you won’t forget what we have”… that kind of thing.

After I laid down the initial guitar and vocal, I started adding synth layers and it just felt right even though the sounds were a lot less organic than the core of the song.

Then jenny added some bass. She was noodling around and I loved trying to keep it “off the cuff” for the verses and more solid on the choruses.
And there’s a little saxophone treat in there too!

ーーBy the way, I’m sorry if this is a cliché question, but it would be great if you could tell us some of the music that influenced you on the writing of this album, records that inspired you, or simply music that you were listening to a lot while writing or recording, or music that you were personally into.


Theresa : This writing process was so long, it’s really hard to say one thing that influenced us. We pull from all kinds of things all the time. It’s more like we make a song and realize it has elements of a certain kind and then lean into that. But each song is so different, there can’t be one inspiration. That’s not really the Warpaint way!





ーーThis album is the first Warpaint album in six years. During this time, each member of the band must have experienced various events and changes both as musicians and in their personal lives. Now that you have completed the album, how do you feel about the length and weight of this six-year period?


Theresa : Well, it’s actually been 4 years if you consider that we lost 2 years due to the pandemic.

We usually tour an album for about 3 years and then it takes some time to step away from that and get into writing mode. That being said, yes, we’ve experienced a lot of changes. Emily is a mother now. Everyone lives in different cities and have started to develop new ideas of what we want from our lives. It feels really great to be releasing music and playing together again. It reminds us that we love to do this and that we need to keep on going!


ーーIn a nutshell, how would you say that the past six years, and your individual experiences within that time, have changed Warpaint?


Theresa : We’re better people. More bonded and actually more mature. We are really finding our own individuality and through that, strengthening the whole. It feels better than ever to be a part of Warpaint.


ーーPlease tell us about the influence of the past six years on, for example, the theme of the lyrics of this album and the story behind the work.


Theresa : I’ve spent more time considering my lyrics..making them visceral and far reaching. I want us to be more universal in our appeal. Also love the task of finding new ways to say things that have been said before, while not being too abstract.. so that we still connect with simplicity and the core of meaning.


ーーLastly, how did you come up with the title “Radiate Like This”?　What kind of situation or feeling does this phrase reflect in you guys?


Theresa : It’s a lyric from the track Melting. It felt good to have an album title that’s a statement of being but also open to personalization. The thought is left open.

For Warpaint, I think it reflects our readiness to be seen and to shine in ways that we haven’t yet.

text Junnosuke Amai