Chicago noisemakers Lifeguard come roaring back to life with new single ‘It Will Get Worse’ and announce new album ‘Ripped and Torn’.
Youthful exuberance and existential crises don’t usually go hand in hand, but Chicago’s Lifeguard have managed to meld the two on ‘It Will Get Worse’. Having built up a fair amount of buzz as teenagers and, in the process signing to Matador, Lifeguard are ready to flesh out their noise-rock into a fully formed debut album, ‘Ripped and Torn’.
Whilst previous releases were reminiscent of 90’s post and alt-rock, ‘It Will Get Worse’ instead sounds more like the sounds being covered in the original Ripped and Torn zine, from which this album takes its name. Angular, lo-fi, noisy – if Wire were gen-Z Americans, this might just be the sort of thing they’d be coming out with. It isn’t all pastiche, however. Tucked away amongst the noise are some proper songwriting chops, coupled with a hard-to-contain energy that drives it all forward. ‘It Will Get Worse’ is at once both familiar and fresh. And a true statement of intent.
Photo by Grace Bader Conrad
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