Chicago is a great city for many reasons, and as of 2019, you can add one more: Horsegirl.
Good things don’t often come in simple packages anymore. There is little glitz or glam when it comes to this killer trio featuring Nora Cheng (guitar/bass/vocals), Penelope Lowenstein (guitar/bass/vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums). In fact, when you listen to their debut, 2022’s "Version of Modern Performance," or their latest, the wonderfully titled "Phonetics On and On," which was released earlier this year, one of the most striking things about the band is their stripped-down, no-nonsense sound.
Cheng didn’t mince words when it came to how this approach was formed.
“We met in a music program in Chicago, like School of Rock. We were in the minority (of students) who were like, ‘fuck (guitar) solos, you don’t have to play an instrument that well,’” says Cheng.
Wait, what? A musician who says, “Fuck solos?” How cool and/or rare is that? The sincerity with which Cheng shares this information via a Zoom chat is both refreshing and perplexing. Is America ready for something simple and straightforward that doesn’t include any guitar soloing? It better be. Missing out on Horsegirl is a big mistake.
Teenagers at the time of their meeting, with Lowenstein being just 14 and Reece being 16, according to Cheng, Horsegirl bonded over alternative music.
“For Penelope and I, the band that made us get really excited about playing together was Sonic Youth. Before that, though, I was super into classic rock. My dad would play Rock Band, the video game, and I would sit in on that and sometimes sing. I really liked ‘Roam’ by B-52’s. It wasn’t very rock and roll, but it was fun to sing. ‘Surrender’ by Cheap Trick is my favorite song ever,” says Cheng.
Seeing Cheap Trick was also Cheng’s first concert, too, but you would be hard-pressed to find the influence of that particular band in any of Horsegirl’s material. There is some crossover with Sonic Youth on their debut album, as the songs like “Beautiful Song,” “Bog Bog 1,” and “Option 8” have some fuzzy, distorted guitar, a little bombast and more than a dollop of dissonance, but even then, the band is doing their own thing.
More recently, though, the band is focused on a slightly different pursuit.
“We got very interested in minimalism and repetition. The bare bones of how you make a song, how you make a pop song. The building blocks aspect is why (the latest record) is called "Phonetics On and On," like the building blocks of language,” says Cheng.
"Phonetics On and On" starts with a bit of Beat Happening meets Frou Frou kind of thing going on, but just like how the first record evolves from song to song, this latest installment grows into its own thing rapidly. By the time you get to the third track, “In Twos,” you are in a world that feels welcoming, tender, and on the verge of something huge.
You can almost feel the universe expanding under the weight and space Horsegirl can create with minimal parts.
“2468” feels like it could have been on the soundtrack of the classic 1990s TV show, "Northern Exposure," which was known for its incredible background music. Of all the songs on "Phonetics On and On," this one reminds me the most of K Records’ Beat Happening. Simple, catchy, and doesn’t beat you over your head by trying to be super witty or ironic. “2468” is simply what it is.
Horsegirl plays the Valley Bar on Monday, August 11 in support of their fantastic album, Phonetics On and On. Godcaster supports.
Ruby Faye
“We arranged ‘Julie’, which is, like, a synth/kind of drone-y song with some weird percussive guitar and some weird, sort of like soloing guitar over it the whole time that just sort of sounds like a cat meowing at random intervals. I was very excited about how we arranged that song live, where it has Penelope (Lowenstein) playing synth, and she has a muted guitar around her, and she’s playing them both at the same time. We stuff a scarf through the (guitar) neck so she can play it with one hand and play the synth with the other. I’m on bass, and Gigi (Reece) plays drums with a tambourine attachment. I think it is so cool,” says Cheng.
The band is currently on a month-long tour to support "Phonetics On and On," and this is their first time in Phoenix.
“It’s very dry, right?” asks Cheng, with some hope in her voice about visiting. “I guess we’ll drink a lot of water.”
Cheng added, “It is really nice going out after the shows to the merch booth to get a sense of who is coming to the shows and who (the music) is resonating with. It makes you feel fulfilled to know this matters to people.”
Horsegirl and Godcaster play at 7 p.m. on August 11 at Valley Bar. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show is 16+. Tickets are available here.
