Warpark
Around the last quarter of 2017 we got to know NYC’s Warpark as they emerged from studio after working with producer Tom Tierney on their upcoming album with a listen to their introspective new single “Early Onset Regret”. Previously known as The Lounge Act; Simon Arcenio, Roger Walsh along with Nick Ciccantelli build upon the bonds & styles established over the course of the past three years with a fresh start & new moniker. As Warpark the trio tries out their most complete & realized set of sounds yet where the arithmetic & equations of their creative connection are elevated to a level of higher mathematical learning.
“Early Onset Regret” strikes at a very familiar feeling that many of us have upon purchases & investments that are both beyond our means & over our heads. Simon’s lyrical reiterations of it starts with you drives home that sinking sense of buyer’s remorse as the chords’ rhythmic interplay are arranged in a building-block sense of addition that leads to the intricate variables full of electronic effects & treatments. The math-rock mode is entertained, even as Nick, Roger & Simon allocate a neat sequencing of instrumental elements in a unique & original approach to algorithms only to begin dismantling them after little more than a minute and a half into the single. It is through this that Warpark then neatly flux between the quiet & loud dichotomy where they savor the highest decibels for their most otherworldly alchemy of arts & sciences fused together in sound.
Nick Ciccantelli, Simon Arcenio & Roger Walsh from Warpark took the time to chat with us in the following interview feature:
Walk us through the histories from 2011 that saw The Lounge Act move from a quartet to a trio and how you all metamorphosed into Warpark.
We all met in high school. We played as a 4 piece with our good friend Jordan Wuest up until about March-April of 2016, when we decided we wanted to branch out of NYC and start hitting the road. Jordan decided that the touring life wasn’t for him, and so we respectfully parted ways. We got a friend of ours to fill in on guitar for the tour and when we got back to NYC, started looking for a replacement. It ended up taking up a lot of our time trying to audition people, and it felt like we were just wasting time. Since we already had such a tight bond with each other after all of these years, we decided it would be best to just continue as a three piece. Simon and Roger started messing around with pedals more, I started singing more, and we worked really hard and spent a lot of time solidifying our sound as a three piece. Through that time we started writing a lot more and spending more time in the studio. Our sound and writing style has definitely shifted quite a bit since we moved to a trio, and it felt natural to change the name because to us, this is essentially a new project.
Tell us why you all decided up on the name Warpark and it’s significance for you all as a band.
We’ve been working on changing the name for about a year now. After constantly looking for inspiration for a new name, this one literally came to us as a sign! We were on tour somewhere near Baltimore when Roger saw a sign that said Memorial War Park or Civil War Park, something along those lines. He said it out loud a few times and we locked eyes. It was kind of like a eureka moment for us. Besides being the first thing we all agreed, we felt like the two words evoked super contrasting images—something chaotic and aggressive, and something peaceful and calming—and that those images are pretty reflective of the kind of music we’ve been writing lately.
What did you all learn from the past 6 years as a group and what sorts of takeaways have impacted you all today?
Being in a band is just like any relationship. Communication and listening is key, and it takes work to keep the relationship going. Besides that I’ve learned that it’s extremely important to stay true to yourself and to make things that you personally are happy with. It’s easy to look at your peers and be envious and say, well what are they doing that I’m not? Why did they get this show when I didn’t? How can I do what they’re doing so that I can get those same opportunities? Thinking like that sucks, and it’s something I used to do when we first started out. But I’ve learned to just focus on us and not worry about what anyone else is doing. I’ve never been happier making music than I am right now, because I feel like we’re at a point where we’re making music for ourselves, because we love it, and trying to create things that we’re really proud of. That’s not to say that we aren’t proud of what we’ve done in the past, but it feels like we are doing things because we want to, not because we are trying to achieve some milestone or goal.
Interested in hearing about what the experience of working with Tom Tierney was like and how they were affected & contributed to the Warpark vision.
Tom came highly recommended to me by the folks in A Deer A Horse. He’s an incredibly awesome guy to work with, and is extremely talented behind the boards. He did a great job of capturing our live sound, which was something that was super important to us for this session. He also did a great job of bringing the chill vibes and the chaotic, crazy vibes of this song together.
Give us the story about the instantaneous remorse and other short stories that might have influenced “Early Onset Regret”.
Well, to be honest, the name came to us while ordering a Filet-O-Fish and several pies at a rest stop in Pennsylvania. One time I ran a relay in short-shorts that were too small for me. The title was meant to evoke embarrassing memories/make people cringe, but the song is meant to be a confidence booster for our listeners. The song exists to remind me, and others, that if you want something as insane as a career in music you have to destroy self-doubt and replace insecurity with hard work. You know cliché shit.
Local NYC bands that are currently inspiring you all?
Some bands that are really killing it are Color Tongue, Vinegar Mother, The So So Glos, Fat Heaven, Triathalon, and Low Anxiety.
Local NYC activism that you all feel is very important?
-Small businesses and venues closing. Real estate
– Poverty
-Racism. People don’t always associate the city with racism but it’s very much alive between the abundant amount of peoples and cultures represented in NYC
-Overpopulation
What can we expect from WARPARK in 2018?
New music. We are planning to record our debut full length album with Tom throughout the year, a music video or two, and definitely lots of shows and touring.
Listen to more from Warpark via Soundcloud.
