To me, the song sounded like the ending credits for a film which had yet to be released,” says Justin Warfield about his debut single “Everything To Me” which is released Friday, June 17, 2022 via Downwrite. One of the main creative driving forces of iconic post-punk band She Wants Revenge, Warfield is releasing this track under his new solo outing WARFIELD. A fascinating blend of electro-rock with splashes of post-punk shimmer, “Everything To Me” is propulsive and cinematic. It’s an epic statement that is not only perfect for the closing of a film as Warfield suggests, but also a refreshingly exciting beginning for this new outlet that caters to his own creative output.
The origin of the song is equally as surprising and intriguing. While She Wants Revenge went through a round of “future uncertain” statuses, Warfield explored other areas of interests, which included securing a job as VP of A&R for Downwrite, a creator economy platform which allows fans, companies, and content creators to commission original songs from artists. While he connected different artists to their fans and clients to create on-demand songs, he was approached by someone who wanted him to write a song. “A husband reached out to me, asking if I could write a song for his wife for their 25th anniversary,” he recalls. “He told me they were hardcore fans of She Wants Revenge and had seen me play live many times. As I was one of her favorite singers, he wanted her to have a bespoke, custom made song just for their special day. It sounded like fun and they seemed great, so I accepted the commission. His wife got something incredibly special for her anniversary, I came up with a song I’m dying to play live, and because of the terms of Downwrite, the husband now gets a percentage of royalties from a song he had no idea would end up being a part of my catalog. Pretty amazing.”
After working on the song and wrapping it up for the excited husband, Warfield took a second glance at the song and realized it was the catalyst that could launch WARFIELD. “As soon as I sang it, I knew I was going to release it as my next single,” he says. “It was undeniably hooky, fun, and sonically had characteristics which felt reminiscent of my work in She Wants Revenge, but wasn’t too far removed from my solo material. Really, it’s like the perfect bridge.”
What started as a personalized wedding gift became his debut single. “It turned out to have a life of its own,” he smiles. “They say you never know where your next hit is going to come from, and in this case, you never know ‘who’ it’s going to come from.”
While She Wants Revenge had cemented Warfield’s indelible mark on the music world (which started well before with an early-90s hip-hop hit, high-profile rap features in the electronica and trip-hop world while living in London, assorted successful bands, as well as remix work for the likes of Depeche Mode, Childish Gambino, and Gary Numan), his platinum-selling darkwave band isn’t the full picture of who he is. While She Wants Revenge is the rapturous and ofttimes combustible collaboration between him and musical partner Adam Bravin, WARFIELD embraces a different energy and sound. “Simply, this song is also a lot heavier,” he explains. “From the very first She Wants Revenge songs, Adam and I imparted ‘rules’ to the recordings to set limits and spark creativity. So for years, there was no real fuzz or distortion on SWR albums, as I wanted to see if we could make things heavy, but in a rhythm-section sort of way without the crutch of fuzz or distortion. This song really plays to the 90s side of my taste; the shoegaze and early-alternative obsessions which I’ve touched on in SWR, but dove into headfirst with this tune.”
Now with the room to explore and experiment, Warfield is ready. And if “Everything To Me” is any indication, his fans are in for a wild ride. “If you’re fortunate enough to be in a band long enough, certain expectations or invisible limitations exist, even if they’re self-imposed,” Warfield concludes. The freedom of a solo effort allows me to follow the muse wherever it leads with no preconceived ideas, no outside noise, and just pure experimentation. The spirit of it, the summer soundtrack energy, and overall vibe just felt really fun, came out quite naturally, and happened very, very fast.”
“Everything To Me” is released today, June 19, 2022 via Downwrite. Expect more information and music from WARFIELD to be released shortly.
