A Los Angeles quartet dealing in sparse, atmospheric art rock, Warpaint originally consisted of sisters Jenny Lee Lindberg and Shannyn Sossamon (on bass and drums, respectively), as well as Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman on vocal and guitar. Sossamon left due to conflicts with her acting schedule and was replaced by Stella Mozgawa. With a dedicated lineup, the band began to experiment with murky spaciousness and stripped-down arrangements, and gained the attention of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. In 2009, they self-released their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse (which was mixed by Frusciante). After a successful showing at CMJ, they signed with Rough Trade and set to work recording their full-length debut for the label. The Fool arrived in October 2010, featuring more fleshed-out songcraft and stronger performances. After taking a few years to follow up their debut and citing their desire to experiment more with sounds and really connect as a group, the band released the lead single "Love Is to Die," which was featured in a Calvin Klein advert in September 2013. Their eponymous sophomore album, which was produced by Flood and mixed by him and Nigel Godrich, was released in early 2014. Following the album's release, Warpaint spent almost a year-and-a-half on the road. After the tour finished, the women of Warpaint pursued different projects: Jenny Lee Lindberg issued her solo debut Right On!; Theresa Wayman founded BOSS with Hot Chip's Sarah Jones and All We Are's Guro Gikling; Stella Mozgawa played with Kurt Vile on tour and in the studio, and Emily Kokal collaborated with Paul Bergmann. The band reunited in January 2016 and recorded their third album in a matter of months. Released that September, Heads Up brought a newfound urgency -- as well as inspirations such as Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Björk, and OutKast -- to Warpaint's music

Gregory Heaney
AllMusic.com