Chicago outfit Lifeguard are back with a new album. Ripped and Torn expands upon the cool chaos of their Matador debut in 2023. This time out, there is a touch more assurance. The guitars still erupt from the speakers, but the group sounds more deliberate in their sonic attack here in 2025.
Opener "A Tripwire" is a riot on the ears, while the more melodic "It Will Get Worse" sounds a tiny bit like band member Kai Slater's other outfit, Sharp Pins. Elsewhere, "(I Wanna) Break Out" delivers the goods quickly. Lifeguard do this kind of nearly-frantic post-punk well enough to make it seem fresh again. On more modestly paced songs, like "Under Your Reach", the appeal of the band is still there, but it's not quite so obvious.
There's something old fashioned about Lifeguard. Ripped and Torn reminds me of the kind of American indie I'd have gravitated to in an earlier decade. This kind of noise rock is nearly timeless in its appeal. Lifeguard crank through this, create chaos, and so put their stamp on a form that's pretty darn durable. Less tuneful than Kai Slater's Sharp Pins project, Lifeguard is just as good in other ways. In debt to very early Pavement, Chavez, and At the Drive In, Lifeguard up their own game here, and serve up a scorcher.
Ripped and Torn by Lifeguard is out on Friday, June 6 from Matador.
[Photo: Grace Conrad]