ALBUM REVIEW: Crowd Can Talk / Dressed In Trenches – Lifeguard

They might still be a relatively new band, but LIFEGUARD are quickly making a name for themselves. The Chicago-based punk trio have released one full-length album, two EPs and two singles, all in the space of three years. However, their latest release is a little different. Technically it’s another full-length, but it is made up of two EPs: Crowd Can Talk – released in the summer of 2022 – and Dressed In Trenches, which features five brand new tracks. Recorded in separate sessions in the same studio and with the same engineer, the results are impressively cohesive.

The first four songs on the album are from Crowd Can Talk. Opener New Age (I’ve Got A) is a fast-paced rock song, full of fast-paced instruments that do mellow out only to come back during the last third of the song, where everything descends into a frantic flurry. Whilst it is a very short opener, it doesn’t sound like it rushed through the runtime.

In fact, the first half of the album is dedicated to songs that start off as mid-tempo and then become more fast-paced. Whilst this might be viewed as formulaic to some, it does keep the pacing of the first half consistent, and the last song of the first batch is extremely experimental. Titled Typecast, it’s almost seven minutes long and is mostly an instrumental song with vocals used sparingly throughout. Some might find it to be a bit tedious because it does go on a long time without changing things up, but it does have a unique edge, especially as it ends with raw studio audio.

Typecast also sets up the next half of the album – Dressed In Trenches – which starts with 17-18 Lovesong, which also starts off with raw studio audio. This half of the album sounds a lot rawer than the first half. Whilst this might feel disjointed on any other album, it works well here.

This is thanks to the fantastic production, not to mention the clever tracklisting. Thanks to the last song on Crowd Can Talk leading into the first song on Dressed In Trenches, the two EPs fit seamlessly together. Ten Canisters (OFB) is the only track that veers slightly off course, due to the fact that it has repetitive lyrics and is not very exciting to listen to sonically speaking. The raw experimentation is ambitious, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. That being said, the rest of the album fits together really well. In fact, you wouldn’t be able to tell that they were two EPs stitched together.

Overall, Crowd Can Talk / Dressed In Trenches is a fun, ambitious and fantastic album. The combination of the two EPs makes for a seamless listening experience, and the experimentation mostly pays off; although some of the songs don’t fit as well into the album, it is mostly cohesive. Furthermore, the experimental songs show that the band are not afraid to branch out into other territories. By ripping up the rulebook, LIFEGUARD have demonstrated that they are a force to watch out for.

Rating: 8/10

Crowd Can Talk / Dressed In Trenches is out now via Matador Records.

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