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Feb 21, 2019 By Stephen Axeman Photography by Carianne Older Guards

Guards, the indie-pop project of Richie Follin (Cults/Willowz), have announced the release of their upcoming LP, Modern Hymns, and shared the lead single “Last Stand,” which we are pleased to premiere. “Born into hell I had to fight to survive/I barely made it out of there alive/and when you tell me that’s all in vain/I pray about it just to ease the pain,” Follin sings over a cavernous gallop of drums and fuzzed out bass, eventually developing into a chamber pop opera replete with harmonized vocals and churning strings. Modern Hymns is due out May 22 via Kobalt. Check out the track, album art, and track list below.

This album marks the group’s first release since their 2013 LP In Guards We Trust. Follin is again backed by Loren Humphrey on drums and Kaylie Church on keyboards and vocals, this time exploring the deeper ranges of synth and bass frequencies. Modern Hymns was recorded over a five-year span that initially started with the band retreating to Sagaponack, New York before eventually renting a house with a studio attached in the Valley of Los Angeles to finish recording. The themes on the album are wide ranging because of the long gestation period, but Follin’s welcoming his first child into the world during the recording heavily contributed to the new focus and lyrical concerns. Produced by Follin himself and mixed at The Notch in Los Angeles by Sean O’Brien, the album features notable contributions from Mike Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age), Money Mark (Beastie Boys), Patrick Keeler (Raconteurs, Greenhornes), Benji Lysaght (Father John Misty, Beck), James Richardson (MGMT), Matt Schaeffer (Kendrick Lamar), and Brian Oblivion (Cults).

Modern Hymns Tracklist:

01. Skyhigh
02. Take My Mind
03. Destroyer
04. No New
05. You Got Me
06. Anyone
07. Beacon
08. Last Stand
09. Fan
10. Momentary Lapse
11. Away

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