On Ripped and Torn, Lifeguard delivers a jolt of pure, unfiltered noise punk—restless, abrasive, and thrillingly alive. The Chicago trio harnesses their youthful energy into six tracks that sound like they’re perpetually on the verge of collapse, yet held together with raw conviction and wiry precision.
Opener “A Tightwire” sets the tone: a tangle of wiry guitar riffs, off-kilter rhythms, and disaffected vocals that teeter between frustration and catharsis. It’s both chaotic and deliberate, evoking the tension of adolescence with an urgency that doesn’t feel manufactured. “It Will Get Worse” follows with frenetic drumming and a heady swirl of distortion, pulling you deeper into the band’s sonic anxiety spiral.
What sets Lifeguard apart from your average basement noise outfit is their ability to balance their punk abrasion with sonic texture and unexpected turns. “Under Your Reach” stretches the LP’s boundaries, weaving in a hypnotic bassline that borders on post-punk, while still keeping the core energy volatile. Meanwhile, “How To Say Deisar” is a tightly wound grenade of static-laced riffs and barked vocals—short, sharp, and unapologetically tense.
There’s a sense of lived-in DIY spirit throughout Ripped and Torn, from the gritty production to the emotionally splintered lyricism. It recalls early Sonic Youth, Blood Brothers, or, going back further, Mission of Burma, but with a Gen Z disillusionment baked into the distortion.
