Inside the dual world of “Warfare/Pretty Leverage”

Zima Kamimoto’s new album Warfare / Pretty Leverage arrived today,, presenting two contrasting sides of her music in one release. The project is structured as a double album: Warfare and Pretty Leverage, each exploring different ideas of strength, identity, and control.

That contrast defines the most daring project of Kamimoto’s career, a two-part odyssey through genre, emotion, and self-definition, pulling threads from rock, country, pop, and alternative influences without ever settling into one.

“Warfare is the side of us that reacts. Pretty Leverage is what happens when we take energy and use it in quieter, smarter ways,” Kamimoto says.

Two Sides of the Same Artist

The first half is more aggressive, with guitars, drums, and darker vocal production. Pretty Leverage, on the other hand, is lighter in tone but equally precise in writing.

“I wanted both halves to sound complete on their own,” Kamimoto comments. “But when you listen to them together, you understand why they both exist.”

The Creative Process

“I didn’t write Warfare / Pretty Leverage as two separate albums,” Kamimoto explains. “I wrote them at the same time, but in completely different moods. Some days everything felt strategic, that became Warfare. Other days I wanted to write from instinct, without overthinking – that became Pretty Leverage.”

She describes the process as less about switching styles and more about documenting emotional rhythm. The double format wasn’t planned from the start, but it became inevitable once the songs began to take shape. “The structure came later, but it made sense,” Kamimoto says. “Both halves have always existed in me. I was writing songs every day, so I started noticing how emotions repeat” she explains. “I’d write something harsh one day and then something soft the next, but they were reacting to the same feeling. That’s when I realized it was all one story.”

Despite the contrasting tones, she kept the recording process unified. “I didn’t want one side to sound heavier or more produced than the other,” she explains. “It had to feel like the same person telling two sides of the same story.”

Visual Direction

Kamimoto also revisits her visual language with the Hiding from the Moon music video, a piece that blurs humor, discomfort, and performance. She describes it as “absurd, eerie, and slightly off-balance,” drawing inspiration from the chaotic surrealism of Mexican Youtube channel Florecita Dreams’ videos.

“I wanted it to look unsettling but funny at the same time,” she says. “Something that feels like it’s breaking character but still knows exactly what it’s doing. It isn’t meant to explain the song. It’s more of a tribute to the kind of media I was immersed in while creating the record.”

Directed by Kamimoto herself, the video fits the Halloween atmosphere of the album cycle without relying on overt horror or fantasy. It extends the eerie sensibility of Warfare / Pretty Leverage into something visual.

Editorial Take

From a critic’s standpoint, Warfare/Pretty Leverage shows how Kamimoto’s songwriting adapts across genres. She moves easily between sharp, rhythmic rock tracks and smoother country Americana pop arrangements without losing her identity. The Warfare half recalls alt-rock, while Pretty Leverage flirts with radio-ready pop and girlish country songs.

Vocally, Kamimoto toggles between command and confession, sometimes within a single verse. Kamimoto maintains the same standard she’s held since Queen of Manhattan (2016) through The Snow Queen (2024) — intimate, confessional, and self-aware. The difference here is tone. The writing on Warfare / Pretty Leverage is colder and the intent is clearer. There’s less interest in creating spectacle and more focus on framing emotion.

What stands out here is Kamimoto’s consistency. She treats both halves with the same discipline — no filler-tracks disguised as transitions. The result is a project that feels whole. Warfare / Pretty Leverage is less about duality and more about coexistence.

Final Notes

Warfare / Pretty Leverage was released today, Halloween, a date chosen to align with Warfare’s eerie tone and the inclusion of the standout track “Halloween”.

Warfare / Pretty Leverage marks a point where Kamimoto stops defining herself by genre. It’s not a rock album or a pop album; it’s a project built around contrast and cohesion. It’s a cohesive statement from an artist who understands her own range and knows how to use it.