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Sep 15, 2023 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

It’s been a decade since Lauren Denitzio and their Worriers released their first album, the eight-song Cruel Optimist. And the band has come a long way since supporting its early albums playing DIY house shows in the Northeast. Denitzio has since moved to Los Angeles, had open heart surgery at 25 years old, and has used their experiences to foster a deeper and more diverse songwriting than was presented on those earlier more aggressively pop-punk Worriers albums.

Trust Your Gut is Worriers’ first album since the release of Denitzio’s home-recorded Warm Blanket project from earlier this year, and it betrays a newer musical ethos, a mix of their earlier more aggressive tones and the relatively sparser Warm Blanket material, along with some new touchtones to expand the sound even further.

The title track blasts out of the gate as some of the catchiest power pop that Denitzio has ever written, with nice bubbly keyboard textures and immediate guitar, all which dare the listener not to sing along. “Waste of Space” is a plaintive piano-led piece of introspection that’s as affecting as anything Denitzio has written. “Backyard Garden” is expansive with lush orchestration. “Anything Else” features an explosive guitar solo buttressed by insistent tempo and strong vocal melodies. And “Math” can almost be described as singer/songwriter fare.

Denitzio’s lyrics are deep, wise, and introspective throughout, giving the tone and tenor of the album a seriousness that belies the melodic brilliance that is present throughout. In total, Trust Your Gut finds Worriers entering another era of its evolution. I, for one, can’t wait for what the next 10 years will bring.(www.worriersmusic.com)