LA’s femme-filled lo-fi-pop quartet Warpaint is gearing up to release its debut album, The Fool, on October 26 via Rough Trade, and this dreamy number is that record’s first single. “Undertow” evokes many feelings and sounds in its four minutes. The song starts with a subdued drum beat, reverberated bass strums, and softly cooed vocals, bringing to mind the likes of early tunes from indie vets Mirah or Julie Doiron, but eventually turns into something more grandiose and cathartic like Warpaint’s contemporaries Glasser or even Beach House. (Incidentally, that “What’s a matter? / You hurt yourself?” lyric reminds us of Nirvana’s “Polly” every time we hear it.) The comparisons may be simple and straightforward, but so is the music—and it should be. Warpaint exercises its right to employ a small number of instruments, play a handful of simple chords, and craft a song with four basic movements because it can do so and still fill “Undertow” to the brim with an emotion and immediacy that surpasses most acts attempting the same feat. (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

Undertow

Undertow

Undertow