Warpaint have a new record on the way, and it is the one that makes the most sense for a band like this: a proper live album. Rough Trade Records will release ARTIFACT on December 11, 2026, a 16 track collection pulled from shows across the United States and Europe between 2022 and 2024. Two songs are out now, and the first one is a stunner.
Why a live record makes sense now
Studio albums tell you what a band wanted to be. Live recordings tell you what they actually are. Warpaint have always been the second kind of band, a group whose songs stretch, loosen and lock in differently every night, and ARTIFACT is built to prove it. Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman, Jennylee Lindberg and Stella Mozgawa recorded these sets in the wake of their 2022 album Radiate Like This, at gigs marking the 15th anniversary of their debut EP Exquisite Corpse, and during shows celebrating their 20th year as a group.
The band put it plainly in the announcement: "Between 2022 and 2024 we released our most recent album, Radiate Like This, celebrated the 15th anniversary of our debut EP, Exquisite Corpse, and also our 20th year as a band. We played a handful of shows for each of those occasions, and luckily we documented a few of the performances."
Nine cities, sixteen songs
The recordings come from Houston, London, Porto, Dallas, Phoenix, Brussels, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York City. The sequence opens with "Bees" from Houston and closes with "Beetles" from Amsterdam, with "Undertow," "Love Is To Die," "So Good," "Elephants," "Krimson" and "Disco//Very" in between. Dallas carries the most weight, supplying five tracks including "Stars," "Elephants," "So Good," "Krimson" and "New Song." It reads less like a greatest hits set and more like a map of where the band felt most alive.
The two early songs show both sides. "Billie Holiday," recorded in Phoenix in 2024, is bare and close, the kind of take where you can hear the room lean in. "New Song," taped in Dallas on the same run, goes the other way, bright and soaring with the rhythm section pushing hard. Together they make the case that this is not a contractual stopgap. It is a document.
Back on Rough Trade
ARTIFACT is the band's first full record since Radiate Like This, and it follows the standalone single "Common Blue," which marked Warpaint's return to Rough Trade, their original label. That homecoming gives the release extra weight. The band say they are "very proud of the music we've created together," and call the album "a snapshot of the sound and energy of our shows and an experience that we've felt so lucky to share."
Formats
Rough Trade lists ARTIFACT on black vinyl, a white marble pressing sold only through independent record shops, CD and streaming. If you collect, the indie shop marble is the one to chase. Preorders are open now through the Rough Trade Records store and the band's official preorder page, with more on Warpaint's site.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. Live albums are usually an afterthought, but Warpaint built their reputation in rooms like these, and "Billie Holiday" alone is reason enough to put ARTIFACT on your December list. Start there, then grab the white marble pressing at your local shop before it disappears.
Building out the shelf? Our gift guide for record collectors and best turntables for beginners will get you sorted, and our 4AD starter guide is a good next stop for more of this moody, guitar driven sound.
