HORSEGIRL
PHONETICS ON AND ON - CD

UPC: 191401210027
Label: MATADOR RECORDS
Format: CD
Release Date: February 14, 2025
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There is something about the bitter cold in Chicago that unites the city in January— the two weeks in 2024 that Horsegirl spent recording Phonetics On and On were some of the coldest days in Chicago that year. With the heating off in The Loft to avoid sound interference, the band was bundled in multiple sweaters and sitting on their hands between takes. Working closely with musician/producer Cate Le Bon (Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, Wilco) Horsegirl found focus and intimacy in the studio that can only arise when it’s simply too cold to step outside. Abandoning the heavy saturation and character studies of Versions of Modern Performance, Le Bon leads them into new, bright, clear, sonic territories that highlight the inventive nature of these new songs.

After playing together for four years, Horsegirl explores the limits of the trio configuration within Phonetics On and On— what if instead of filling out songs with distortion, they utilized the expanse that the three of them didn’t occupy? This question seems to be the motivating force behind the record, and the songs are a testament to experimenting with space and texture while maintaining a pop song at the core. New tools help bring this world to life; violins, synths, and gamelan tiles are all woven into the record with complete effect.

TRACK LIST:

01. Where’d You Go?
02. Rock City
03. In Twos
04. 2468
05. Well I Know You’re Shy
06. Julie
07. Switch Over
08. Information Content
09. Frontrunner
10. Sport Meets Sound
11. I Can’t Stand To See You