Horsegirl invite us to a “World of Pots and Pans” on their new single.

Photo by Cheryl Dunn

Chicago band Horsegirl have had an electric start to 2022 beginning with the announcement of their debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, out June 3rd via Matador. The trio were dubbed the “champions of SXSW 2022” by NME, and won the Grulke Prize for Developing U.S. Act before touring the Northeast, including a sold out New York City debut at Market Hotel. Today, they continue on that trajectory with the release of new single and lyric video, “World of Pots and Pans.” Following the propulsive  “Anti-glory,” “World of Pots and Pans” has a rough, blown-out pop charm. The band elaborates: “‘​​World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever written—or the closest thing to it. We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.“We made the lyric video in a couple hours. The three of us had a fully formed vision of what it should look like and were able to quickly execute the real-time ‘animation’ in only two takes. It feels special to showcase our creative chemistry, and Nora was able to finally carry out her childhood dreams of making an OK Go (ish) type video.”

Watch Horsegirl’s Lyric Video for “World of Pots and Pans”

Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs. The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. Horsegirl recorded Versions of Modern Performance at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.). One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. There’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. But as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. With lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, Versions of Modern Performance offers many pathways. Horsegirl will tour Europe and North America this summer following a special record release show in Chicago with other young, local bands on Sunday, June 5th. They will return to New York on August 10th to play the Bowery Ballroom.

Watch the “Billy” Video

Watch the “Anti-glory” Video

Pre-Order Versions of Modern Performance

Horsegirl Tour Dates
(new dates in bold)
Sun. May 29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
Sun. Jun. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall  (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^
Fri. Jun. 10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer
Sun. Jun. 12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby
Thu. Jun. 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar
Fri. Jun. 17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW) – SOLD OUT
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW) – SOLD OUT
Tue. Jun. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement)
Wed. Jun. 22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club – SOLD OUT
Sun. Jun. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
Tue. Jun. 28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Wed. Jun. 29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch
Fri. Jul. 1 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022
Sat. Jul. 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs
Fri. Jul. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall *
Sat. Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Sun. Jul. 17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
Tue. Jul. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Thu. Jul. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon *
Fri. Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Sat. Jul. 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Tue. Jul. 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line *
Wed. Jul. 27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
Fri. Jul. 30 – Sat. Jul. 31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival
Sat. July 31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Music Festival
Tue. Aug. 2 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
Wed. Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
Fri. Aug. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
Sat. Aug. 6 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus *
Wed. Aug. 10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *

^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter
* w/ Dummy

Keep your mind open.

[Enter a world of music by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Jaycee and Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Horsegirl announce new album, single, and tour.

Photo by Cheryl Dunn

Today, Chicago trio Horsegirl announce their debut record, Versions of Modern Performance, out June 3rd on Matador, a summer tour, and present charged lead single/video, “Anti-glory.” Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. With lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, Versions of Modern Performance offers many pathways. Following last year’s one-off “Billy,” lead single “Anti-glory” is elastic and propulsive, entrancing listeners with a central call: “Dance / Dance / Dance / Dance / With me.” The accompanying video, directed by Erin Vassilopoulos, exudes confidence, putting Horsegirl front and center, their uncanny ability to layer sound on full display.

We wrote Anti-glory almost by accident, while messing around with an old song during rehearsal. The song fell into place immediately, and looking back, we have no idea how we wrote it,” the band explains. “As always, this song and album are for Chicago, our friends, our friend’s bands, everyone who can play the guitar, and everyone who can’t play the guitar.”
Watch Horsegirl’s Video for “Anti-glory”

The friendship of these three goes far beyond Horsegirl. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs, and they have their own mini-rock underground, complete with zine distros, that they describe as somewhat separate from the “adult shows” that take place at bars and DIY spaces they don’t have access to. They’re exultant about their friends’ talent, noting that any of the bands from that scene could have been (or might still be!) plucked up the way they were.

Versions of Modern Performance was recorded with John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.) at Chicago’s Electrical Audio. “It’s our debut bare-bones album in a Chicago institution with a producer who we feel like really respected what we were trying to do,” the band says. Across the record, Horsegirl expertly play with texture, shape and shade, showcasing their fondness for improvisation and experimentation. One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. There’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. But as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. They’re best understood as part of a continuum, but they’re building something for themselves.

Horsegirl will tour North America this summer, playing their first ever shows in most cities across the country. This all kicks off with a special record release show at Thalia Hall in Chicago on Sunday, June 5th. Next week, Horsegirl head to SXSW before their debut performances in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New York City. Full dates are listed below, and tickets for newly announced shows go on sale this Friday, March 11th at 10am local time
Watch Horsegirl’s Video for “Billy”

Pre-Order Versions of Modern Performance

Horsegirl Tour Dates:
(new shows in bold)
Wed. March 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – FLOODfest @ Mohawk @ 2:00pm
Wed. March 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW  – Roskilde Festival @ Cheer Up Charlie’s @ 10:00pm
Thu. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW  – SX San Jose @ Hotel San Jose
Thu. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – Gorilla vs. Bear x Luminelle @ Seven Grand @ 11:15pm
Sat. March 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
Sun. March 20 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Tue. March 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
Sun. May 29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
Sun. Jun. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall  (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^
Fri. Jun. 10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer
Sun. Jun. 12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby
Thu. Jun. 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar
Fri. Jun. 17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW)
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW)
Tue. Jun. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement)
Wed. Jun. 22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club
Sun. Jun. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
Tue. Jun. 28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Wed. Jun. 29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch
Fri. Jul. 1 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022
Sat. Jul. 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs
Fri. Jul. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall *
Sat. Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Sun. Jul. 17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
Tue. Jul. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Thu. Jul. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon *
Fri. Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Sat. Jul. 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Tue. Jul. 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line *
Wed. Jul. 27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
Fri. Jul. 30 – Sat. Jul. 31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival
Tue. Aug. 2 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
Wed. Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
Fri. Aug. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
Sat. Aug. 6 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus *
 
^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter
* w/ Dummy

Keep your mind open.

[Get on the subscription horse.]

[Thanks to Jaycee and Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]