Justin Warfield, whose eponymous side project WARFIELD has already been responsible for some of the most enthralling dark wave releases of the year, today previews his next release. Deathrock Devotionals Volume II, with a new single and video, “Only Shadows.”

The She Wants Revenge frontman is justifiably proud of this latest offering, if a little surprised at how the song came together.

“‘Only Shadows’ is a funny one. When I write songs, it happens one of two ways. Either it happens in a rush and my job is to get it down as it’s coming to or through me, or it’s a laborious slog and the song either comes out the other end better for it, or dies on the vine. There’s seldom an in-between.

“My process of writing lyrics is such that that 90% of the time the music is done and I write lyrics and melody after – generally while driving. And in that process, the first words and melody which come to me are the ones that make the final song with no editing, perfecting or revising. I look at that lyric and melody as a clue, a breadcrumb trail which it’s my job to follow, and who am I to say I can improve upon what was given to me in a moment of unconscious/subconscious inspiration?”

With “It’s Only Shadows,” however, “The chorus came fast, but the verses and bridge went through least five different stages of lyrics and melody [and] still, nothing felt right.”

Then, suddenly, “a narrative came to me about a vampiric love story told through a very conventional visual representation of a night between a couple. I latched onto the idea of the eternal life element of the vampire lore, and when I saw, (literally, not figuratively, like seeing a film in your head) the scene in the car playing out beneath the streetlights, the entire song was unlocked.”

Now he could return to the original chorus, “change a few words to fit the new storyline, and then the verses, pre-chorus and bridge came in an instant.

“Sometimes, songwriting is about patience, listening, waiting, and not giving up on something that nags at you to be discovered.”

SINGLE: https://orcd.co/warfield_onlyshadows

The accompanying (and so brilliantly atmospheric) video follows the lyric.  “I wanted to do a fairly literal interpretation of that narrative, but tie it into the Deathrock Devotionals video universe we’ve created across my other recent videos.”  

A recent eastern European tour allowed the video to be shot on location in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and – of course – Romania (“the actual birthplace of the vampire story as we know it”), and  that naturally influenced the finished shoot.

“We ended up getting to do a pretty verité style video which is more impressionistic and a mood-piece, than a formal story or narrative as we’d done in the past, which really lent itself to something special – highlighting both the similarities of those within our community (despite cultural or geographic divides), as well as how special the people we meet on tour are, and how grateful we are that they’ve become a part of what we’re building.”

VIDEO: LINKLINKLINKLINK

As for Deathrock Devotionals Volume II itself, Justin simply says, “it feels to me at least like the logical extension of the series and storytelling.”  With the EP releasing on November 14, he explains, “While it wasn’t intentional, it worked out so that if you’re a first time listener, Vol I invites you into the world, and Vol II takes you deeper down into the depths, while also stepping outside for some moments to have fun and celebrate being alive….even if there’s No Party.”

No Party?  We’ll see about that!

PRE-SAVE EP: https://orcd.co/warfield_deathrockdevotionalsii

“‘Fades’ is a fun one,” WARFIELD founder Justin Warfield promises. The first single to be taken from the upcoming second volume of his Deathrock Devotionals project, “Fades” rides a pounding bass and drum rhythm, and is possibly the most electrifying of all WARFIELD’s singles to date – that chorus might feel understated, but it’s gonna blow your ears out.

“‘Fades’ started its life in another form,” says Justin, “Then underwent a rewrite and makeover from the ground up. Lyrically and melodically, it was always the same: a bit of a stream of consciousness both following a loose narrative around an individual, as well as exploring some larger themes about impermanence.” 

It was WARFIELD bandmate Thomas Froggatt who came up with the bass line that throbs around the vocal – with that in place, Justin continues, “The synths and guitar fell into place. The bridge came out of nowhere, and honestly caught me by surprise.

“Sometimes it’s the little things that come from out of the ether which help make something exciting, original, or give you a spark, because once that was in place, I started playing the chorus guitar, and then everything just gelled together”

And that includes that certain “something about the synth sound… that reminded me of Suicide and Alan Vega, hence the nod and homage in the yelps and howls.”

Like its Volume I predecessor, WARFIELD’s Deathrock Devotionals Volume II is a tribute to, and remembrance of, the early years of goth and deathrock in Los Angeles, a mood upon which the accompanying video also reflects.

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/warfield_fades

Justin continues, “Although Deathrock is a term which has never gone away, and die-hards keep alive culturally as well as musically, to me it’s a very special moment in time, that period which followed the late 70s scene in LA when punks let their artsy inclinations guide them towards the macabre, horror-themes, and a creepier, darker, but equally fast and aggressive sound. 

“45 Grave, Super Heroines, Rozz Williams, Patrick Mata…all those people pioneered it, I’m just taking inspiration from them, and using my sensibilities and the continuation of that spirit to make something new, fun, full of energy, and fresh.”

More than twenty years after Justin Warfield stepped out at the helm of She Wants Revenge, and rewired both the temperament and timbre of “goth rock,” the genre is about to undergo another scintillating make-over as his solo WARFIELD project unwraps Deathrock Devotionals Volume I

The first of multiple EPs that will ultimately comprise an entire new album, Deathrock Devotionals has already made a mighty mark via two widely acclaimed singles, ““All The Fun (Kiss, Kiss, Kiss)” and “Jet Plane.”  Now, three further songs await discovery, “Distraction,” “Whispers for the Dead” and “Get Away/Far Away” – and all three offer incontrovertible proof that the success of this latest venture is here to stay.

It is also a very different beast to She Wants Revenge, as Warfield explains.

“As the singer and co-songwriter of She Wants Revenge, I’ve developed a voice over the last two decades within that framework. But that said, anything I’ve done outside of the band has always been an intentional departure, both to follow musical and creative urges, as well as trying something which wouldn’t necessarily fit the band, but affords me the opportunity to stretch out. 

“Usually this means less minor keys, a different sonic palette, and moving towards something less dark and more indicative of other genres I love and which are part of me, whether it’s hip-hop, shoegaze, or California Rock.

“When I sit down to write, whatever comes out, comes out. But there’s no specific intention. It’s usually the product of what I’m feeling, what I’m taking in media wise, or any number of factors, and often times, when something I write doesn’t fit SWR, I slide to the side and put in the vault as it were.”

WARFIELD, he says, is different, in that “for the first time, the songs I was writing for myself felt connected to my contributions to SWR, both in the way I sang them, but also by virtue of the fact that the music was dark and of the Goth, New Wave world we’ve helped revitalize since founding the band.”

That, he continues, is the direction he followed as the Deathrock Devotionals project came together.  “I allowed the creativity to guide me, and just explored different sounds and building blocks to differentiate it, to make things heavier, punchier, a bit more lighthearted, and with different energy running through it” – a process that the first single, “All The Fun (Kiss, Kiss, Kiss),” made apparent.

“What makes WARFIELD standout and sound different, not just to SWR but to a lot of current electronic-leaning Darkwave, is the similarities it shares with that  lineage of Deathrock, and when I wrote that first song, I knew that I’d found something which felt like a future version of that distinctly 78-83 LA sound, and right away the entire project felt like it was all laid out for me.”

He acknowledges “anything I do is going to reflect all of my collective influences.”  And while one can hear touchstones such as  The Damned, Christian Death, early New Order and Bauhaus, Warfield says equally influential on this project are The Cult, Alice Bag, and The B-52’s. 

“The rapid-fire delivery is the result of loving Chrissie Hynde as much as it is Rakim, and I’m just as inspired by the images of Edward Colver and Linda Aronow as I am the bands they photographed. One thing I love is that people have told me they can hear the hip-hop and other past projects I’ve done in the new music, which to me is the highest compliment, that it’s perhaps the most, ‘me’ of anything I’ve done. 

“And though Deathrock is a term which has never gone away, and die-hards keep alive culturally as well as musically, to me it’s a very special moment in time, that period which followed the late 70s scene in LA when punks let their artsy inclinations guide them towards the macabre, horror-themes, and a creepier, darker, but equally fast and aggressive sound. I mean, 45 Grave, Super Heroines, Rozz, Patrick Mata…all those people pioneered it, I’m just taking inspiration from them, and using my sensibilities and the continuation of that spirit to make something new, fun, full of energy, and fresh.”

DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/warfield_deathrockdevotionalsvoli

VIDEO: “ALL THE FUN (KISS KISS KISS) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rpxSBGb0dw
VIDEO: “JET PLANE” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5oTKSIvFU8