There are three things you need to know about The Warning — an incredible Latina rock band I’ve recently discovered:
- Their killer hard rock sound combines entrancing vocals, wicked drum solos, and heavy bass.
- The band features the three Villarreal Vélez sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. 19-year-old Alejandra is on bass, piano, and backing vocals, while 21-year-old sister Paulina is on drums, songwriting, and vocals, and the eldest, 23-year-old sister Daniella is on lead vocals, guitar, and songwriting.
- Their new single “Automatic Sun” and its music video drop today, April 5! You can also presave their brand new album Keep Me Fed, which is set to be released on June 28. If you love girl bands and rock, their music is perfect for you!
The Warning has performed alongside rock legends such as Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, and Three Days Grace and even ignited MTV’s extended play stage at the 2023 MTV VMAs. This girl band is taking the rock music industry by storm, and it’s something you don’t want to miss!
I was granted the amazing opportunity to ask the band a few questions about their inspiration, their experiences as a band, and what is to be expected from their new music. Check out the interview below!
Q: Could you explain the inspiration for your new single, “Automatic Sun?” How does it compare to other songs on your upcoming album, Keep Me Fed?
A: The inspiration for “Automatic Sun” came to us very spontaneously. We’ll admit that our creative juices were very slow the day we wrote this song, it wasn’t until we were brainstorming with random words and phrases that we stumbled upon Automatic Sun, and it sounded hella cool.
We didn’t know what it meant, but we knew we had to do something with it. From there, we thought about how there are people who just light up rooms like that, they’re little “automatic suns,” and we wrote an entire song on how the chemistry with a person you perceive as an automatic sun is intoxicating and beautiful.
Q: How does Keep Me Fed differ from your last album, ERROR, in terms of sound, aesthetics, or inspiration?
A: Well, Keep Me Fed is A LOT different than ERROR in many ways, starting with the time we had to work and live with the albums before putting them out. ERROR is our pandemic baby, so we had lots and lots of time to grow along with the music, and Keep Me Fed was written, recorded, and mixed while we were in between long tours!
So, starting from there, this new album was created in a much more chaotic environment, and you’ll probably be able to hear that in the music. We also let ourselves write the songs from a more personal place and our own experiences (which is something that we haven’t done that often), and also we let ourselves explore and write with more people! We were very used to writing between only us sisters, so letting people we hadn’t met before in on our creative process was something new for us that we implemented on most of the songs in this album, and we loved it!
Musically and sonically, we evolved a lot, and we think it shows everything we have learned on the road; this is definitely a new era of The Warning and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about what it’s like being an all-female rock band, as well as a band that allows you to work alongside your sisters?
A: We love that we get to do what we’re passionate about as sisters! Since the very beginning when we started learning music, we were very driven by the energy and sound of rock n’ roll! We never really questioned what we should or should not do when it came to enjoying music and playing together.
Also, we were very, very young. Now that we have lived through so many crazy things together and learned so much from the incredible opportunities our career has had (like opening shows for Def Leppard, The Killers, Foo Fighters, Gun N’ Roses and touring with Halestorm, Royal Blood, Muse to name a few).
So yeah, we’ve been learning what it’s like to be an all-female rock band for a while, and while it has had its challenges, we love that we can be a band that can show everyone that music, especially rock, is for everyone to play and enjoy. It is an honour to represent Mexican women and women in rock on every stage we set foot on.
Q: What’s one thing you want Canadian and American fans to know about your group?
A: Well, there are a lot of things that we would love to share, but more than anything, our music! We are very passionate about what we do, and we firmly believe that music is the language that connects us all together! We are three sisters from Mexico who love to rock out, and we’d love to invite all of you to rock out with us!
Our newest album, Keep Me Fed, will be out everywhere on June 28, and we’ll be touring a lot, so keep a lookout. Hopefully, we’ll see you on the road! Rock on!
Follow The Warning on Instagram to stay up-to-date about all of their newest releases and tour dates! I’m obsessed with them, and I’m sure you will soon be too.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.