Album Review: Ripped And Torn by Lifeguard

Much like the vibrant Chicago indie music scene that bred it, Lifeguard was one of the projects that band members Asher Case, Kai Slater, and Isaac Lowenstein were testing out without the weight of expectation behind them. While still in their teens, the band's art punk initially made the rounds in local circles before making some headway with a pair of EPs—Crown Can Talk and Dressed in Trenches—that demonstrated their raw, if fawningly reverential, talent. Taking cues from the likes of McLusky and Gang of Four, the young trio seemed too studied in their approach, breaking down a flurry of genres to reveal a glimmer of their potential true sound.

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Dialled-back punk sounds and rhythms, melodic breaks, emo-inspired vocals: the path Lifeguard travel across 'Ripped and Torn' is one both well-trodden and one that'll continue to be walked for years to come. It's a standard 2020s post-punk release that falls in line with an ever-increasing list of them; not a bad record, but often monotonous: 'A Tightwire', 'It Will Get Worse' and 'Me And My Flashes', for example, all bleed together as one. But, occasionally the monotony is interrupted - 'Under Your Reach' and '(I Wanna) Break Out' both offer some differentiation and glimmers of individuality.

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