The new album from Lauren Denitzio’s ever-evolving project Worriers is the product of much upheaval — from the open-heart surgery they endured at age 25 to a recent move to Los Angeles where they connected up with Atom Willard of Against Me! and Rocket From The Crypt. The music that came out of all of that experience has a defiant edge; deeply emotional in its lyrical explorations of gender identity, unsteady relationships and psychological turmoil, but somehow rousing and flourishing musically. The mood of the album never does seem to drag either Denitizo or their listeners into a mire of bad vibes or morose sounds. With some key assists from Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay and bassist Allegra Anka, the album pulses with life and the stomp of punk-glam arrangements.
After shifting into singer-songwriter mode earlier this year for their fourth LP “Warm Blanket”, Lauren Denitzio is already back with the follow-up Worriers record “Trust Your Gut”, which announced itself as leaning back into the power-pop territory the project’s come to be known for when the album’s title track was revealed a few months back. Yet the other pre-album singles tell a different story: “Cloudy and 55” is a sparse piano ballad, while “Top 5” is a simmering anthem.
Meanwhile the sound of “Trust Your Gut” remains rooted in the type of rousing pub-rock The Hold Steady have come to define, with that band’s keyboardist Franz Nicolay contributing keys across the record to further differentiate these songs from those penned by previous iterations of the band. It’s no wonder, then, that Denitzio looked to that group for inspiration when crafting this record.
The Fat Angel Sings 