Horsegirl: "Musically, We've Come To Embrace the Trio Dynamic and the Inherent Amount of Space That Comes With That"

Chicago-via-New York's Horsegirl — a trio of longtime friends Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) — defy expectations and embrace shambling pop minimalism across their second album Phonetics On and On. Rather than chasing distortion, the group roams around their imaginative wall of sound with the power of restraint, ambiguity, and modest simplicity. With help from producer and pop auteur Cate Le Bon, the group conjures up some of their most wonderous creations; haunting, but playful, and uncluttered yet emotionally stirring. Even when they're strumming or pounding away madly in rapturous, head-spinning acceleration, their taut control and principled charm never fades.

Photos by Ruby Faye

First tell me what you've been up to lately? What have you been listening to, reading, watching, or spending a lot of time doing?

Nora Cheng: Penelope and I are really into that show Severance right now. I hadn't seen any of it until the second season started coming out, and Penelope convinced me to watch it with her so we could enjoy season two together… it's pretty great. I've been listening to Sort Of by Slapp Happy as well, the songs are both psychedelic and restrained, which should normally be at odds with each other, but it works really well on here. 

What were some of the highlights from last summer's tour with Cindy? 

Gigi Reece: That was such a great tour. It was affirming to invite a band across the country to do this tour with us and feel like we really clicked and understood each other. I think that Cindy's music established an intimate setting for our shows. It felt like the audience was prepped to listen and connect with the minimalism, lyrics, and intimacy of our new songs. 

We've been fans of yours since the Ballroom Dance Scene / Sea Life Sandwich Boy single, but how do you feel looking back on your catalog? Do you still like or relate to your past releases?

GR: I feel like we will always relate to what we made then. That's what we were formed on — and I think we pride ourselves on our high school band roots. We'll never take "Forecast" off Spotify [laughs].   

What are some memories you have recording your debut album Versions Of Modern Performance and what are your thoughts looking back at it now? 

GR: I have memories of creating pixel art with Penelope's brother Isaac, while Penelope and Nora did vocal takes. Looking back at that session, we were in awe of simply how it felt to record in a studio. It was overwhelming. We learned a lot from that experience and allowed ourselves to play more freely with the studio on Phonetics.

When you were first playing together, you formed a brief Sonic Youth cover band. What was it like later working with Steve Shelley on the Billy single in 2021? 

GR: We're touched he was down to do anything at all on our record, but we were never in the studio together and didn't properly "work together." He added some nice, propulsive tambourine and shaker at the end.

How would you say your friendship has evolved over the years? How would you describe how you've grown musically as a trio?

NC: Leaving Chicago, where we'd lived our entire lives, and moving to another city where we essentially didn't know anyone naturally made us lean on each other in a very familial way. Musically, we've come to embrace the trio dynamic and the inherent amount of space that comes with that rather than trying to fill out our songs with distortion.

What insight can you share about your new album Phonetics On and On? and how exactly did it all come together? When and where was it recorded? 

GR: Phonetics came together slowly in the beginning. We had a few new songs here or there in 2022. In 2023 we made our demos — later that year we connected with Cate. We set the date to record in January 2024, and the rest of 2024 was spent refining the songs. Knowing we'd explore them even further in the studio. 

What was it like writing the songs for this album? I read that some of it was written in New York while attending school there. 

GR: I would say most of the songs were written in New York. Although the month before we recorded, we hunkered down in Penelope's parents basement to put together what we wanted on the record. This record is very Chicago-New York. Just like us these days. 

How special was it working with Cate Le Bon, especially with exploring new sounds, and what do you admire most about her contributions?

GR: It was incredible. We had admired her music and career since we had started our band. From the moment we connected with her it felt like an immediate match. Cate helped make the session feel very playful, and she'd show us her favorite strange instruments in The Loft that we had to try out. 

How would you compare this new album to your previous releases? 

GR: I don't know how to compare them other than saying that we are older now, and we were younger then. It feels like Horsegirl has been an outlet to capture our collaboration as we grow up together. 

Which song from the record means the most to you (and why)? 

GR: Hmmm.. I'd say "Sport Meets Sound" for me. It was our first full song to come together for this record. I think it established what we wanted to go for before we could necessarily describe it. 

Diving into some of my favorites, what can you tell me about the opener "Where'd You Go"? 

GR: This one was a true exploration of the pop song structure. We had an idea of making a short pop song with two chords, simple lyrics, and a ripping solo. We're proud we made a song that's under two minutes. 

What was it like working on "2468" and how did its loose improvisation guide the other songs on the album? 

GR: This was the last song we got to in the writing and recording process. We were a bit stuck on what the vocal part should be. We were motivated by the three distinct parts of the song, and how they're repetitive but never return to the part that came before. The vocals were completely improvised, which was a push from Cate, and they were the final touch to glue all three parts together. 

What's the story behind "Switch Over"?

NC: "Switch Over" went through many phases. It used to be a slower, more triumphant song with more distinct sections. We returned to it before going into the studio and simplified it. My guitar part used to move around a lot more, but then we realized it was a lot more interesting and in the spirit of the drone if I just played downstrokes on one note for the majority of the song. The guitar part is very rhythmic and percussive, and this allowed the bass part to become more guiding and melodic. When we went into the studio, Cate suggested we play it faster, and everything fell into place.

What were the inspirations behind the cover art?

GR: Through the process of creating our album we discussed minimalism a lot — and we wanted the cover to reflect that. We had gotten into quilting and textile imagery, the star was inspired by classic quilting designs. Naturally we added the 2 because this is our second album.   

What are you looking forward to most to the upcoming tour dates with Lifeguard, Answering Machines, and Free Range? How important is that tight-knit Chicago music scene to you? 

GR: I think we're all most excited for the hang. Chicago remains so important to us even as we moved away. Booking a show or tour together feels like a nice way to come together and spend some time with our friends we dearly miss! 

Finally, any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?

GR: Start a band, believe in yourself, don't compare yourself to other people. 

Phonetics On and On is out now on Matador Records.