| Undertow | |
| Cover: | Warpaint - Undertow.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Warpaint |
| Album: | The Fool |
| A-Side: | "Undertow"/"Warpaint" |
| Recorded: | 2010 at Curves Studio and The Boat Studio in Los Angeles, California |
| Genre: | Indie rock, art rock |
| Label: | Rough Trade |
| Producer: | Tom Biller |
| Next Title: | Shadows |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
"Undertow" is a song by the American indie rock band Warpaint. It is the third track and lead single from the band's debut studio album The Fool, and was released on September 21, 2010, on Rough Trade Records. Described by the band as an homage to the Nirvana song "Polly", "Undertow" received favorable acclaim and placed in the United Kingdom's Independent Singles and Independent Breakers charts upon its release. A limited edition double A-side single was released as part of the Record Store Day 2012.
Describing the origins of the song, bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg said "Undertow" developed from a bassline she and guitarist Theresa Wayman were working on. According to Lindberg, "[Wayman] just started singing the lyrics to 'Polly' over that song … instead of making that a cover … we said, 'well, write your own words to the song'." Lindberg added that if "you listen to the songs back-to-back they sound nothing alike" but referred to "Undertow" as "a bit of an homage to Kurt [Cobain] and Nirvana."[1] A music video for "Undertow" was directed by Lindberg's sister and former Warpaint drummer Shannyn Sossamon.[2]
All songs written and composed by Warpaint.
All personnel credits adapted from The Fools album notes.[5]
| Chart (2010) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| UK Independent Singles Chart[6] | 30 | |
| UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart[7] | 10 |