Album Review: Wargirl - 'Wargirl'

Pondering on the music of America’s west coast conjures up thoughts of The Beach Boys, Laurel Canyon and the hippy scene around San Francisco. Wargirl combine all of these and more into a potent mix that feels rooted in the contemporary despite leaving its heart in the 1970s.

Wargirl are putting Long Beach, Los Angeles’ demographically diverse neighbour, firmly on the musical map with their eponymous debut album. Drawing influence from the eclecticism of their surroundings, the band blend influences from Phil Spector to Fela Kuti into a delicious rhythmic smoothie. Guitarist Matt Wignall (who has produced for Cold War Kids and Mando Diao amongst others) emphasises the role that their hometown played in the formation of their sound, suggesting that “Nobody else sounds like us, and yet we sound like the environment we come from.” The result is the audio equivalent of one of those people under the age of twenty-five who insist that nothing written after 1979 is worth listening to, but without the joylessness and boorish pretension exuded by that kind of house party buzzkiller (YOU’RE NOT ORIGINAL DARREN, STOP TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF INTERESTING BY NOT LIKING SYNTHS).

The prowling disco of recent single ‘Poison’ kicks off proceedings with a post-punk edge. Joyful yet brooding, it’s a clear statement of intent as Samantha Park’s vocals veer from moody growl to girlish trill in a heartbeat. Tamara Raye’s strutting basslines come to the fore in the appropriately titled ‘Sass Girl’, which brims with confidence and sense of purpose. The nostalgia trip doesn’t end there - the Hammond keys and whistling of ‘Mess Around’ take you back to early 70s MOR, whilst ‘Voice Of The Mountain’ borrows from early reggae, afro beat and latin rhythms (it’s of no great surprise to learn that part of the album was recorded in Costa Rica). The latter track is rich in layers yet also sparse and atmospheric, conjuring up the confusion and clarity of a psychedelic trip.

The album’s second half has a more muted feel to it, gone are the dancefloor ready anthems of before. ‘Streets’ has a moodier electronic edge, a dark cloud rolling over the horizon as Park declares “we are in for stormy weather”; clattering Phil Spector-esque percussion is tempered with a modern cynicism. ‘How You Feel’ wouldn’t feel out of place on Back To Black, the bassline and brass section evoking Amy Winehouse’s emotionally nuanced take on 60s Motown. By contrast, the tail end of the album descends into a psychedelic fog of layered grooves, carrying you off into a chemically induced dreamscape.

Wargirl specialise in juxtaposition, whether that’s their free for all approach to genre, or the combination of joy and darkness in their songs. Perhaps that’s only natural for a band to whom diversity is so much more than a buzzword, it’s the world they live in and it shows in their art. “No matter whether you see us or hear us, we always come across as a diverse bunch. Our thinking is completely without borders”, states Wignall. Borderless yet cohesive, Wargirl have crafted the oddball mix of influences into a rich and compelling listen.

Words by Hattie Long