Horsegirl have deftly bridged the wide gulfs between archetypal and ingenious by making music that, while indebted to the sound of decades' past, never feels like pastiche. This isn't the sound of three dabblers with expansive (and expensive) record collections; it's musicians playing the style of music they love with sincerity and intention, dog-eared copies of If You're Feeling Sinister be damned.
With Phonetics On and On, the Chicago trio of Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein and Gigi Reece should rightfully squash all preconceived notions of who they are as a band, or who they should be, by delivering unto the world a record full of bright riffs and tight rhythms, as well as an onslaught of hummable, coo-along melodies.
Horsegirl was started in 2019 by the three friends, all still in high school when they recorded 2022's absolutely great Versions of Modern Performance, which had the unmistakable remnants of no wave and noise pop in its DNA, and featured Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley. There's likewise an effortless cool to Horsegirl's music, with taut playing that's never clinical, glowing harmonies and gleeful experimentation.
While Phonetics On and On is a little less noisy than its predecessor, it's no less effective — or affective, for that matter. The album's lead single "2468" is powered by relentless violins and energetic drums, all of which are wrapped up in fluctuating time signatures. It recalls the squealing strings of John Cale and the uninhibited proto-indie pop of the Pastels, Talulah Gosh or anything on Sarah Records.
But let's not get too preoccupied by naming all the bands that Horsegirl are (maybe) kind of influenced by. Not only is Phonetics On and On among the most enjoyable indie records of the last few years, it might also be one of the most unique. Far from an unceremonious throwback, this is a band taking what they love and filtering it through their own convictions and virtues.
Although the group currently reside in New York City, their Chicago roots are strong on this record, which was recorded with producer Cate Le Bon over two frozen weeks in January 2024 at the Loft — a studio owned by the city's original sons, Wilco. The blistering cold that permeated the intentionally un-heated rooms added something jarring to Horsegirl's songwriting, infusing it with jittery, sometimes glacial dynamics.
And yet, Horsegirl also clearly longed for warmth. The pounding, surf-tastic vibes of album opener "Where'd You Go?" conjure up images of sand and jalopies for a slice of longing and mis-remembrance that culminates in a picked tremolo solo of fuzzed-out proportions. Coming in under the two-minute mark, it's over as quickly as it started, and segues beautifully into the pensive chords of "Rock City." Various percussive accoutrements augment the woozy vocals and perfectly clumsy guitars, with the bass masterfully holding it all together.
The romantic, austere "In Twos" starts with an impossibly tender line ("Every car that passes by drives to you"), as the bass once again cuts through everything, sharp and round, covering the brain like a warm midwestern snowfall. Album highlight "Julie" is a fragile, kaleidoscopic confession, both assured and vulnerable in a way that will bring a lump to your throat time after time. Meanwhile, the predominantly acoustic "Frontrunner" is a frayed film frame; a fractured story of longing and patience that makes a mature, succinct evaluation of adulthood and expectation in the album's most prescient lyric: "I can't wait to compromise."
Equal parts pensive and dreamy, minimal yet expansive, Phonetics On and On is the unapologetic sound of confident experimenting, the product of three musicians years ahead of their respective ages. Horsegirl rule, and so does this record. Put it on and on (and on and on and on).