Lifeguard - Ripped and Torn

Tense, explosive, and emotionally serrated, this debut full-length charges forward with a raw collision of melodic post-punk, high-speed hardcore, and abstract garage minimalism. Lifeguard—three longtime collaborators from Chicago—channel the urgency of DIY history into something ferociously current and tightly wound.

The title track Ripped and Torn isn’t just a reference—it’s a mission statement. Across the album, Lifeguard rip through songform with jagged rhythm shifts, flame-thrower guitar lines, and hypnotic vocals that feel summoned rather than sung. The band leans into instinct and interplay, creating something both highly intentional and gloriously on edge.

Cuts like “Like You’ll Lose” and “It Will Get Worse” alternate between dreamy dirge and unarmored pop-punk, while the more abstract tracks (“Music for Three Drums,” “Charlie’s Vox”) reveal a group equally at home with experimental structures and noise collage. The result is unpredictable, magnetic, and emotionally unfiltered.

Produced by Randy Randall (No Age), the record feels underground and intimate—an electrified document of friends turning youth and dissonance into something cathartic and real.

Label: Matador Records
Format: Vinyl