Warpaint release reimagined take on Gang of Four's Paralysed for Andy Gill tribute album

LA indie rockers Warpaint have shared their contribution to the upcoming Andy Gill tribute album, The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four.

The group's take on Paralysed – which originally appeared on Gang of Four's 1981 LP Solid Gold – joins covers from the likes of Tom Morello and Serj Tankian, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea and John Frusciante, Gary Numan, Idles, La Roux and more.

The recording sees Emily Kokal and co somewhat eschew the wiry single-coil-driven lead lines of the original, opting instead for a dreamier arrangement. You can listen to the track below:

“‘The change will do me good.’ [Damaged Goods] [is the] best piece of advice that pretty much changed my life,” explains Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. “Not to mention Dave Allen’s bass playing also changed me forever. Made me wanna play bass.
 
“It was cool to get inside of Paralysed, and for Gang of Four to give us freedom to freak out in our way... it was a beautiful opportunity and we're so excited. It's an honor actually to be a part of Andy’s tribute.”

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Says Andy Gill's widow Catherine Mayer: “Andy loved the way Warpaint created not only songs but atmospheres, without sacrificing drive and danceability. The marriage of their unique sound with Paralysed, on the face of it one of the least likely dance tracks ever, is spectacular.

“The lyrics are also incredibly resonant at this moment in time where so many people feel helpless in the face of regressive populism and disfiguring inequalities.”

Mayer will donate any income she receives from the single to the Women's Equality Party, a political party she co-founded in 2015 and that Gill passionately supported. Andy Gill passed away in early 2020 at the age of 64 following a respiratory illness.