Lifeguard – Ripped And Torn review

It’s easy to get weary of the music industry’s hype cycle in a “Which fresh set of cheekbones is this” vein, but whilst ok, so now impress me can feel like a necessary default mode to protect the self, occasionally the juice is worth the squeeze.

Lifeguard come for the same erm..stable as Horsegirl, both emerging from a Chicago micro scene that began during lockdown and which they labelled Hallogallo, with vocalist Asher Case and drummer Isaac Lowenstein both former members, and the latter’s sister being in the former band.

Ripped And Torn is a brief and slightly chaotic debut which pulls from a grab bag of influences mostly lodged in early British post punk (The Raincoats, Swell Maps, the Au Pairs) whilst briefer instrumental smudges embody the work of Cabaret Voltaire from a similar era. Cynics might note that in It Will Get Worse the trio deliver a more mainstream friendly update on the post millennial Strokes, but for now the breathless shit losing which accompanies Lifeguard is just about justified.

You can read a full review here.