**Horsegirl’s *Phonetics On and On*: A New Chapter of Growth**

Horsegirl’s second album, *Phonetics On and On*, kicks off with a question. On the lively opening track “Where’d You Go?,” guitarist and vocalist Penelope Lowenstein asks the title’s query, only for fellow guitarist and vocalist Nora Cheng to respond: “Far, far, far away.” This exchange sets the tone for an album shaped by transition. Once part of Chicago’s vibrant DIY music scene, the band’s members have since scattered across the country for college. While drummer Gigi Reece remains in Chicago making zines and waiting for her bandmates to finish school, Lowenstein and Cheng are now immersed in their English studies at New York University. Their love of language and phonetics directly influences the album, turning it into an experimental playground where words and syllables are rearranged like puzzle pieces.

At its core, *Phonetics On and On* is an album about navigating change. As Lowenstein and Cheng trade off vocals, they explore themes of awkward romance (“Well I Know You’re Shy”) and the complexities of adulthood (“In Twos”). But instead of straightforward storytelling, they favor a cryptic, fragmented style—like flipping through a heavily edited diary, where glimpses of meaning peek through blacked-out lines. The album is populated with unusual characters, like a welder adjusting a pipe or a shepherd who drives a flower truck just for the scent. When the band does shift into a more personal perspective, they take on a certain nostalgia, embodying habits that feel plucked from a different era—waking up to the radio, shaking hands when saying goodbye. Horsegirl’s lyrics feel like a haze, and if you enjoy that kind of mystery, deciphering their meaning becomes an intriguing challenge.

Their fascination with language goes beyond words. Throughout the album, they frequently use non-lexical sounds—“do” and “fa la la”—not just as vocal fillers, but as an intentional breakdown of language’s basic components. The track “Information Content” serves as a kind of mission statement for the record, with Cheng explaining her approach to sound and encouraging listeners to interpret the lyrics however they like—or simply get lost in their abstraction.

Horsegirl’s debut album, *Versions of Modern Performance*, gained attention for the way it drew from indie rock legends and obscure ’90s bands. The trio even had Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley contribute to that record. While *Versions* carried the raw energy of teenagers eager to prove themselves, *Phonetics On and On* shifts toward a softer, more textured sound. The influence of bands like Flying Nun, Electrelane, and Stereolab is apparent, while new elements—like country-tinged acoustic guitars on “Frontrunner” or the bright melodies of “Switch Over”—suggest an appreciation for classic artists such as Bob Dylan and Al Green. Horsegirl still showcase their deep knowledge of music history, but they now channel it in a way that feels more like reinterpretation than imitation.

Much of *Phonetics On and On* was written in New York, but the band recorded it back in Chicago at Wilco’s Loft studio. This time, they had Welsh musician Cate Le Bon as their producer, acting as a guiding force. Le Bon encouraged them to slow down, strip things back, and rethink their approach. Songs were carefully sanded down, with entire sections sometimes removed. This newfound restraint is evident in moments like “Julie,” where Lowenstein sings, “We have so many mistakes to make/What do you want from them?” before the song dissolves into a sparse, glitchy guitar solo. On “2468,” Cheng picks up the violin for the first time, lending a wobbly, off-kilter feel to the track. Le Bon’s biggest lesson was a simple one: play fewer notes. Instead of filling every space, she helped the band embrace silence, amplify each instrument’s presence, and let the unconventional take center stage.

Looking back, *Versions of Modern Performance* feels like a snapshot of their teenage years, a time when they wanted to prove that young women could be loud, bold, and uncategorizable. *Phonetics On and On*, by contrast, reflects the uncertainties of early adulthood. Rather than forcing their way through, Horsegirl experiment with stepping back—paying attention to what lingers in the empty spaces, what echoes in the quiet. This evolution is what makes the album so striking: it’s a testament to the power of restraint, to finding meaning not just in what is said, but in the silences between words.