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Any band reaching studio album number five is quite an achievement; for Mexican trio The Warning, though, that achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that the band are still so young. At 26, guitarist/vocalist Daniela “Dany” Villarreal is the oldest, drummer/vocalist Paulina “Pau” Villarreal is 24, and bassist/vocalist Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal turns 22 later this year. Insane to think that the sisters’ debut album came out almost ten years ago.
The album’s charm lies in the variety within it. Showing chameleon-like qualities at times, the band are obviously at home sharing the stages with acts like Muse and Yungblud, but ‘Everything’s Falling’ has at times the modern, pop sensibilities to perhaps see them filling that special guest slot on the next stadium tour by acts like Olivia Rodrigo, or Chappell Roan.
Due to the rise of Spotify, etc, the modern consumer of music doesn’t care about genres in the same way that previous generations of album buyers did. They either like what they are hearing, or they don’t. And it’s this audience that The Warning should be courting.
‘Waste Your Time on Me’, for instance, is a killer pop song; it just happens to also have lashings of buzzsaw fuzzy riffs from Dany, and the trademark explosive drumming from Pau that makes her one of the hottest young drummers around. Same with ‘Bloodsport’ – an infectious slice of modern music (Garbage-influenced?) driven by Ale’s thick basslicks that have a life of their own. The “3-2-1, knockout” line is impossible to ignore and hangs around for days on end.
‘Break’ is a Billboard Hot 100 number-one in the making. Slow-burning and smouldering, with hooks at every turn, and a gorgeous guitar solo from Dany that is wonderfully emotive and free from shredding, it steals the show.
There is still plenty of bite and aggression on ‘Everything’s Falling’, enough to keep the older guard happy. The album is bookended by two absolute ragers in previously released singles ‘Ritual’ and the breakneck speed of ‘Kerosene’, which, to borrow a line from one of The Warning’s biggest champions – Lzzy Hale – sets that shit on fire. Even when the band puts the brakes on during moments like the epic title track (which has some gorgeous cinematic flourishes), they do it with power, on what is one of the strongest tracks that the trio has recorded.
‘Why Do You Like It When I Cry’ is packed full of The Warning-isms, including the thick guitars full of fuzz, vocals that twist and change in style (even some harsh screams in there), and a delicate change of pace with Pau showing that she can play it subtly when needed. ‘Bite My Tongue’ keeps up the aggression and comes with a thick, fast-paced outro that sees the trio floor it. ‘Kill Or Be Killed’ is another one that the fans who have been there from the early days will love – packed with huuuuuge vocal hooks – while ‘Ego’, performed in their native Spanish, is edging ahead (along with ‘Bloodsport’ and the title track) as favourite on the album.
After the acclaim 2024’s ‘Keep Me Fed’ brought, the follow-up needed to be perfect to help the band take that all-important step up after wowing crowds on Yungblud’s sold-out European arena tour. ‘Everything’s Falling’ is special. The album that The Warning needed to make to truly become a global band capable of performing at the highest levels (the band have never been short of confidence, but this is other-level).
Available via Lava/Republic Records August 28th, pre-order the album on limited edition signed CD & vinyl HERE.
Review – Dave
Portrait photo credit: Brian Ziff
