A lot has been happening to Chicago’s enigmatic Horsegirl since the release of their stunning debut ‘Versions of Modern Performance’ back in 2022 – of which I said in my review was:
…one of the most exciting releases over the past few decades. It is really that good: a celebration of the values of stripped down visceral and exciting rock’n’roll with swagger and attitude and a rich vein of humour running deep inside. It is a vital refresh of the kind of sneering louche indie rock music that is exciting and euphoric: a shot of adrenaline to jolt a fading heartbeat.
The band, the trio of best friends Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece, relocated to New York where two members would attend NYU, and it was the first time they wrote music outside of one of their parents’ basement.
The band today announced that their second album entitled ‘Phonetics On And On’, produced by Cate Le Bon, will be released on 14 February 2025 and to gives us a taste of what’s to come, a new song ‘2468’ has just been released.
The first impression from the new single is that the sound has matured and grown exponentially, and yet the same charming DIY ethics remain: a rough hewn edge that shines and sparkles with its vitality. New instruments seem to glide through the sound, a louche and insouciant delivery by the band – cool and distant, observational and laced with a deadpan sense of humour. There is more complexity in the production, warm layers over the fuzziness.
Horsegirl explores Raincoats-like violin parts and kinetic percussion, building stealthily towards a head spinning motorik crescendo. Written almost entirely in the studio, ‘2468’ stands as an achieved byproduct of rewriting and rearranging, adding and subtracting, flash-moments of instability, and embracing the unexpected result.
The accompanying video is suitably wry and deadpan to match the tune as the trio perform with a sort of dissociated fervour, playful yet seemingly worn out and guarded. It’s ultimately as charming as the music.
The song’s video was directed by writer and filmmaker Eliza Callahan and choreographed by Alexa West.
Horesgilr remain for me one of the most exciting bands around – full of freshness and vitalirt with just a touch of world weariness laced with humour. ‘2468’ is out now and available to stream and download here and through the link below.
‘Phonetics On And On’ was recorded over two weeks in January 2024 in the band’s native Chicago’s The Loft studio at the peak of winter. With the heating off to avoid sound interference, the band were bundled in multiple sweaters and sitting on their hands between takes and found the kind of focus and intimacy that can only arise from it being too cold to go outside.
They followed Le Bon into brighter, clearer sonic territories that highlight the intuitive and off-kilter nature of the songs: instead of filling them out with distortion, the trio utilising the expanse, playing with space and texture within pop song structures and and leaning further into the process of recording – adding and subtracting, flash-moments of instability, and embracing the unexpected result.
They incorporate new tools to bring this world to life: violins, synths, gamelan tiles. The band remain part of the adventurous Hallogallo Chicago youth music scene, which includes bands like Lifeguard, TV Buddha, and Twin Coast.
You can pre-order the album through the link above and here.
Horsegirl will also be touring extensively in 2025 through the US and in Europe. Details and tickets here.
Feature Photograph: Ruby Faye
