‘Us on Kai’s and Braeden’s scooters.’ Photo by Braeden Long

We did a full interview with Lifeguard before we had them on the list for this year’s Bright Young Things, but when we read the interview and saw them live, they were so nice we had to feature them twice.

Do you recall back when you were in that strange middle ground of age between high school and being legally allowed to purchase alcohol in the US, when your friends at the cafeteria table were the funniest people alive and enough money in your pocket to buy dinner that night meant that you had no worries in the world? Now imagine that hilarious and inseparable friend group made really good rock and roll music. That is Lifeguard. If you haven’t read their feature yet, click this sentence. If you have and want more, scroll down. Take particular note of the fact that they sent us a one song playlist. Like I said, hilarious. Love it. Love Lifeguard.

Who are you?

Lifeguard band.

What do you do?

Drumming and guitars and also singing. Also now we do electronics too.

How long have you been doing that?

Electronics, a few weeks, but we have been playing since 2019 in the summertime.

Where is home for you?

The summertime. Also Chicago Illinois.

If you weren’t playing music, what would you be doing? 

Not totally fulfilled. Still wearing good clothes but more bored and confused and probably more lonely.

What do you think about the current state of the music culture that you engage with every day (ie, the scene you’re mixed in with whether it’s local or international or whatever)?

We love our Chicago scene! we do not like greedy people or sharks. People need to sing more though. Enough with that shouty stuff. 

What do you do outside of music and how does that thing influence or affect your craft?

Printmaking, woodworking and creative coding are all things we like to do individually and we also all do music in our own time, it definitely influences the band. Practicing multiple skills makes it easier to avoid burnout and enjoy being musicians together. Even writing an essay will influence some type of creative spur and affect what type of music we're making. Or the shoes you're wearing or whatever.

The best/worst thing about the music industry as you see it? 

Music is the best part and money is the worst part probably.

Something you’re most proud of? 

The album we’re making.

Biggest lesson you’ve learnt in life so far?

My biology class went pretty long last week. Lots of concepts in there.

Something anyone can do today to make the world a better place? 

Demonstrate, make flyers, be involved, if you have money and don’t need it then give it to people that need it.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome so far in your industry?

Making the youth scene more visible and have a clear image is something we are always working on and industry types are not usually quick to get it. 

What is something people might not know about you? 

We can all explain the chronological timeline of the Planet of the Apes movies. 

Who do you think is doing it the best/coolest in your industry right now?

Charli XCX and Brian Eno and Blur and Rachel Love and Martin Newell and Autechre. The Oakland SF jangle/dub/pop + Paisley Shirt adjacent scene is some of the coolest stuff happening right now. Also a really good popscene in Southern California, our friend Tom Henry is doing great Chilton type stuff, Private Eye are fab. We played with Monde UFO down there too and they are so amazing. The Smashing Times are some real mods from Baltimore doing it awesome style. we have friends in Richmond VA who are making music in a band called Hypochondriac and make a zine called Peng!33 that both rock. We met on tour and continue to visit. 

What do you think the biggest issue young people are facing today?

I think it’s very easy to admit defeat and become complacent to archaic capitalistic expectations as a youth. Having friends and being opinionated and principled is important. 

Photos by Elio Agustín.

What were your goals when you began and have they changed over time?

At the start we didn’t really care as much about getting people moving at shows but now it feels pretty essential. We’re done with that arms-crossed-head-nodding crowd activity like we’re making some high art or something.

Top tour necessities (ie, a van with a dvd player, neck pillows, etc)?

Books, alone time , tv, Breakfast if possible, interaction beyond ourselves.

What is the dumbest thing in your rider and who put it on there? 

We’ve wanted dark chocolate but have not put it on there. 

Do you get tired of people going on about how young you are when you have to do press? (ps, sorry for doing that) 

Not really, but if it becomes a thing about someone's fantasy of a lost childhood or something, which it often does, it becomes annoying and misses the point. This music is not for that type of person although we're glad people dig it and get some of the references. 

Can you make us a playlist? Pretty please?

Sorry very little time. Only one song.