Worriers’ first full-length album, Imaginary Life, came out this past Friday (August 7) through Don Giovanni Records. Though Imaginary Life marks Lauren Denitzio’s first time crafting an album’s worth of material, the songwriter is hardly inexperienced. She, along with friends, has released two 7″ singles and a 12″ EP under the Worriers name, and this all comes after a stint as a member of New Brunswick punk outfit The Measure [sa].
Denitizio recruited Laura Jane Grace to produce the record. Before going into the studio with the band, Grace had Worriers accompany her band, Against Me!, on a nine-day tour so that she could get a better feel for their sound. The attention to detail from Grace and Denitzio on Imaginary Life is clear from the outset. Worriers’ previous releases were fuzzy affairs, but the full-length is unashamed of its polish. Room has been made for Denitzio’s voice to shine among the band’s instruments.
Worriers have an unabashedly punk ethos, but the band’s strongest tracks include personal elements to their lyrics. “They / Them / Theirs,” the band’s angry take on the lack of linguistic options for pronouns in the transgender community (“you are stuck between a rock and ‘why bother?’) comes out roaring, but always keep a personal note.
Worriers’ Imaginary Life is out now via Don Giovanni and is available through Amazon, iTunes, and Don Giovanni Records’ store.
