Stream: Worriers – Cruel Optimist

Worriers first formed way back in 2008 as a side project for Lauren Denitzio of the Measure [sa] along with Mike Hunchback of Hunchback/Weird Fantasy Band and Justin Sullivan of Ringers/Babies. In the years since, the band has become Denitzio’s main focused with an ever revolving set of friends joining including Jonathan Johansen, Mikey Erg, Rachel Rubino, Tim Burke!, and Lou Hanman, among others.  

The band’s current lineup of Denitzio, Burke, Erg and Rubino are set to play The Fest 12 next week in Gainesville FL and follow that up with a UK/Europe for the first time this November.

To co-incide with the tour, Worriers have released their first album since their 2011 7″, “Past Lives,” on No Idea Records. The album, dubbed Cruel Optimist, will be available October 29th through Don Giovanni Records and is Denitizio’s attempt to merge her passions of  visual art, feminist/queer activism and organizing with music.   As Denitizio herself explains it:

Most of the songs on this record are inspired by or reference artists and writers that have had a big impact on the way I think about the world, especially in terms of gender, and assumptions about sexuality and the way we structure our lives.  I think it’s a very “punk” notion to not base your life around what people say you “should” be doing, or one path that leads to some magical settled life. But those ideas, for me, haven’t just come from DIY or music or the scenes surrounding it. 

You can stream the entire album below.

 

Worriers tour dates: 

October 30 – Tampa, FL @ Pre-Fest 12
October 31 – Gainesville, FL @ The Fest 12
November 7 – Exeter, U.K. @ The Cavern *
November 8 – London, U.K. @ The Black Heart *+
November 9 – Leeds, U.K. @ Santiagos *
November 9 – Liverpool, U.K. @ Shipping Forecast *
November 10 – Sunderland, U.K. @ Pop Recs Ltd *
November 12 – Cardiff, U.K. @ Undertone*
November 13 – Bristol, U.K. @ The Exchange *#

* = with Caves
# = with Franz Nicolay
+ = with Mikey Erg