The day before Warpaint released their debut record The Fool around 11 years ago, I interviewed them at The Deaf Institute here in Manchester. I was petrified! I was about to interview a band I had loved for some time, and I was finally able to sit next to them and interview them. That feeling, that moment will never leave me. Since then, I’ve pretty much obsessed over any and everything they’ve released. I wear my Warpaint tattoo with utter pride. I adore this band. I love everything about them but the main thing is the bond they all have with each other. You can tell they love the bones of each other and love making music together and this shines through in all they do.

The artwork for the record sums up the feel of it. It is calming, you’ll feel like you’re floating and for that moment you listen to the record- you’ll feel alright. When the record came out on Friday- I just couldn’t wait to play it. I played it whilst getting ready for work and whilst on my way to work- I had it blasting in my headphones. The best way to listen to Warpaint is through headphones so you can really soak up everything that is going on. There’ll be times where Emily’s voice will make you cry because of the sheer gentleness. Jenny’s bass will make you move without a care in the world. Theresa will hypnotise you with the way she annihilates the guitar. The we have Stella who is just the best drummer around. The record opens with Champion, and this song perfectly guides us gently into the new record. Champion has everything you could possibly want from Warpaint. They’ll make you feel like you are gazing out to the ocean with the sun providing comfort on your back.

Radiate Like This is their first record in 6 years, and it honestly feels like you are listening to a brand new band. It is such an ethereal record and for me, this is so evident on Hard To Tell You which I think just may be one of my favourite Warpaint songs ever. The lyrics are heartbreaking, and everything else surrounding it is so light. Vocally, Emily will break you. There’s this beautiful fragility to her voice here, and the way Stella, T and Jenny accompany the dreamy vocals is just out of this world. I just want to spend the day doing nothing and listen to this song on repeat. I feel like I could write an essay on how perfect it is. It’s one of those songs that when you listen to it just once, it immediately takes over. Everything about this song is just divine. Maybe it’s Emily’s gentle voice, maybe it’s the lyrics. Maybe it’s everything I love about Warpaint in 5 minutes. I think that’s it.

What I adore about Warpaint and this record is how fearless they are. I love how they absolutely blow your mind with every single song. The way songs like Trouble, Proof and Stevie (Jenny’s bass on this sounds so heavenly. If angels played bass, this is what it would sound like!) sound like they are from another planet. It just blows my mind. Proof is definitely up there with one of the most exciting songs on the record, and the energy it has just makes you wish you could start a band like this! There will only ever be one Warpaint. I love how Proof gets quite heavy musically, and together vocally it feels like they are putting a spell on you. I think Warpaint put a spell on us all those years ago when they first started.

When you listen to Warpaint, you immediately forget everything that’s going on in your head. You’re quickly taken to their world; and their world is so tranquil and soothing. Warpaint have this heavenly sound that only they can create. I’m pretty sure they could make a Death Metal record and it would still sound gentle and soothing. Warpaint are that security blanket you need when everything seems pretty tough, and what they’ve done on Radiate Like This is just like they have done on their previous records. They make you fall back in love with music all over again. I don’t mean to fixate on it, but Champion has something about it that just makes you feel like you can take on anything. It makes you feel hella tough- even when you are the complete opposite. I cannot wait to see them do this live; there’s something about this that is just meant to be witnessed live.

If you’re looking for a song to really get you moving- you need to play Like Sweetness. This one has that slick Warpaint sound. That groove that makes you pull an ugly face and you just feel every beat, every note, every word. It just moves you. For me, Warpaint have always been that band I listen to when I can’t sleep or when I need my mind to quiet down a bit. Radiate Like This is made up of songs that will calm your mind, and Like Sweetness may just be the most gentle song on the record lyrically. When I paid attention to the lyrics the other day, I just cried. Not just because it’s beautiful, but because of how open the band are with their words. If you want to feel a sense of freedom or just sheer happiness, then go the nearest lake or body of water, put your headphones in and play Trouble on repeat for a little while. Honestly, that song is something else.

I could spend hours, days even giving you reasons as to why this is the most gorgeous record you’ll hear all year. But if you’re a Warpaint fan already, then you know this. I know I love music that is loud and such, but Warpaint are the band that are just good for the soul. This record is made up of songs that could calm any soul, that could tame any mind. This is their 4th full length record, and they are a band that keep on getting better and better. They have a distinctive sound/style, but they always change it up. They play around with all genres, and make their own. There’s no band quite like them. There never will be again. It’s obvious how much I love this band, and I’m SO excited to see them on Thursday.

Radiate Like This is a masterpiece. It is a glowing work of art that you just won’t be able to live without.