Worriers

Brooklyn-based musician Lauren Denitzio, who sings, writes songs, and plays guitar, launched Worriers as a solo outlet that began issuing raw, defiant punk tracks during the first half of the 2010s. A string of independent singles and EPs set the stage for the 2015 full-length Imaginary Life, which Laura Jane Grace oversaw in the studio. Subsequent LPs Survival Pop in 2017 and You or Someone You Know in 2020 addressed gender liberation, social disparity, and everyday political realities amid turbulent times. After years of leading Worriers with an ever-shifting roster of players, Denitzio recast the project as a purely solo undertaking for the more pop-oriented Warm Blanket, issued in 2023.

Denitzio, who also works as a visual artist and writer, first performed with the New Jersey punk outfit the Measure (SA) before starting Worriers in 2011. From a Brooklyn base, the project featured a revolving cast of musicians on its earliest recordings, including the 2013 releases Sinead O'Rebellion and Cruel Optimist, the latter serving as the first Worriers title on Don Giovanni Records. For the debut album Imaginary Life, Denitzio enlisted Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! as producer. Two years afterward, Survival Pop arrived on the SideOneDummy label—later reissued by 6131 Records—while Denitzio continued drawing on trusted associates for both studio work and live performances. Among those recurring contributors were Mikey Erg, Lou Hanman, John McLean, Rachel Rubino, and Audrey Zee Whitesides.

After issuing the 2020 album You or Someone You Know, produced by John Agnello, Denitzio paused to reassess the project's direction. Having long attempted to run Worriers as a band with flexible personnel, Denitzio concluded in summer 2022 that it functioned best as a solo venture and began operating accordingly. Working entirely at home for recording and mixing, Denitzio explored newfound autonomy and tried out new approaches. The outcome was Warm Blanket, released in 2023 and standing as the most intimate and stylistically varied Worriers album to date, incorporating strands of pop, folk, punk, and indie rock.