Warpaint Survive Drummer Departures to Release Dark Debut Album

Finding that special someone really does matter -- just ask Warpaint. After six years of writing music and playing live, the Los Angeles art-rock quartet has finally released its debut album, 'The Fool.'

"We went through a couple of drummers the last few years," bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg tells Spinner. "That was the one thing holding us back. The lineup was changing so often, we'd have to rework something else and then get solid with what we're working with. It was vastly different, but an amazing experience before we put out our first record."

Indeed, 'The Fool' draws from a dark and sultry Cocteau Twins vibe on songs like 'Lissie's Heart Murmur' and 'Undertow' with Emily Kokal's ethereal vocals as the focal point. Formed in 2004, Warpaint's early incarnations involved actress Shannyn Sossaman as well as current Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Kinghoffer. Lindberg says that despite the constant shifting around in their early days, the essence of the band's dark vibe has stayed the same.

"The core of the band was still there," she says. "The sound isn't vastly different, but the style of the song was more aggressive or faster. There's at least two songs, from each period, written with a different drummer, so it's representative of the time together we've played as a band."

After spending time in Europe this fall, Warpaint will return to the US for a handful of dates to close out the year, starting Nov. 30 at Great Scott, in Allston, Mass.