The Lauren Denitzio-fronted punk-rooted act Worriers have announced their new album Trust Your Gut, due out Sept. 15 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. This will be their second project of 2023 following the home-recorded album Warm Blanket from April. Trust Your Gut marks the group’s first studio album in three years.
The group has evolved during the making of this new album to feature two new talents in Franz Nicolay of The Hold Steady, and Allegra Anka of Cayetana. After taking inspiration from Nicolay’s writing style, Denitzio and the multi-instrumentalist connected through Twitter and eventually began collaborating. Anka began playing bass for Worriers on their 2020 tour supporting The Menzingers, and has now been brought on for the recording process of Trust Your Gut.
The first single — the title track of the album — was released Monday, June 26th on all streaming platforms partnered with a music video. The short visual story portrays Denitzio as the main character rallying their town to help save Lucy’s, a queer bar in danger of closing. The empowering arc of the video is complemented by the strong confidence of the track’s anthemic chorus, bright whirling synths and righteous lyrics. This track, along with the entire upcoming album, is self-produced by Denitzio, unlike 2020’s John Agnello-produced You or Someone You Know.
In 2019, Denitzio moved from the East Coast to Los Angeles and shortly began working with Atom Willard, former drummer of Against Me! and Tom DeLonge’s group Angels and Airwaves. Worriers’ ties with the punk band Against Me! date back to their debut full-length album Imaginary Life, which was produced by frontwoman Laura Jane Grace and released under Don Giovanni Records. Willard went on to record drums on Warm Blanket, and stuck around for the making of Trust Your Gut. Guitarist Frank Piegaro also returns to this album’s cast after contributing to You or Someone You Know.
Over the years, Worriers have delved into themes of sexuality, gender, self-identification and politics through energetic punk and guitar-driven rock music. Their new twelve-track album captures strength in resilience and decision-making that based on the album’s title, comes from one’s deepest feelings. While a tour supporting this album has not been announced yet, the album along with various merch bundles are now available for pre-order through Worriers’ Bandcamp.