I’ve been to a fair amount of sold out shows at the Metro but never one so well attended as Horsegirl’s hometown album release show for their new album Phonetics On and On that took place last Saturday, a week after their sophomore album’s release. By the time Horsegirl took the stage, you couldn’t even raise two elbows in the bar area without hitting someone and believe me, that’s a rarity. I don’t think the night could have gone any better for the Chicago born-and-bred Horsegirl and having two other local bands, Answering Machines and Lifeguard, open for them surely solidified the night as “Friends and Family” night at the Metro. I am only joking of course, but on the other hand, I’ve never once seen an audience so young and yet so old at the same time so maybe there is some truth to that.
What I really loved about the show last Saturday was how Horsegirl chose two punk bands as openers to amass this wonderful juxtaposition when they eventually took the stage. Not that Horsegirl are not known for noise and punk in their own music, their first album Versions of Modern Performance is soaked top to bottom in 90s adoration channeling everything from the most distorted Yo La Tengo songs to the noisiest Sonic Youth numbers you can find. However, on their newest album, Horsegirl collectively kick the distortion pedals out of the passenger seat and into the trunk in hopes of finding something a bit more personal and self-reflective in the minimalistic and experimental pop vein of The Raincoats and The Velvet Underground. Seeing as most of their set Saturday night consisted of playing the entirety of Phonetics On and On, I think the hour or so of noise rock before was a brilliant and successful choice.
Answering Machines, a local DIY punk band possibly named after that one The Replacements’ song mixing in flavors of power pop and, dare I say, slacker rock, set the initial mood for the night off right with all killer and no filler. Their songs were short, sweet, and right to the point and their brand of catchy, hook-filled punk rock made for a vivacious, fun-filled time. The cherry on top was the two seconds of saxophone we got at the end of their set that really made the whole performance complete. On a slight side note, go check out the band National Photo Committee, a local alt-country, slacker rock group that graciously gave up their lead singer for the night to play guitar for them (or maybe they’re just in both bands full time, I don’t know) which was a nice little easter egg find for me.
Lifeguard, while still very much having their foundational roots in noise and punk rock, kicked up the ante by throwing in some 2000s NYC indie for good measure. Weirdly, the mix of those two genres sometimes sounded like early Queens of the Stone Age to me and maybe I’m wrong for saying that but I found Lifeguard, at the very least, sounded vocally similar at times. Related in blood to the guests of honor for the evening, Lifeguard felt like a clear choice for the penultimate performance. Lead singer Kai Slater’s onstage aura and sprightly screeches made the band engaging, entertaining, and above all else, interesting to the casual listener. You could feel like they were bringing a million and one influences to their sound, and I was surprised how they truly carried themselves with the skill, poise, and grace of a beautifully aged band for how young they all looked. Their bass tone was crushing, their drums were destructive, and with how the vocals tied everything together so mightily, you can tell they’ll be going far very soon.
On (and on) now to Horsegirl, here is a band that truly feels like a family and it’s quite wonderful to witness in the flesh. I can’t imagine for how long all three band members have known each other, but something tells me it’s been quite a minute from how well connected, supported, and present each member is for each other on stage. I was unaware that this show was the official album release show for Phonetics On and On even though I could have easily guessed with the show being just a week after the album’s release and the Metro being a venue inside the great city of Chicago but alas, who has the cognitive skills to put those two coincidences together. With just two albums and some singles to their name, Horsegirl have really risen through the ranks to become one of Chicago’s premier indie rock acts of the last 5-10 years. They may not be the most well-known but they are sure as heck on their way to the top, selling out venues like Thalia Hall for their first album’s release show and now with their biggest headlining show of their career at the Metro.
If I may be so blunt, I don’t love their new album as much as Versions of Modern Performance, an album I can confidently say is up there with the best to ever come out of Chicago. However, their new album is certainly no sophomore slump, it’s just different and doesn’t grab me as much as their debut. With that being said, it’s still a fantastic album filled with gorgeously seasonal vibes that you can throw on while cleaning and then 38 minutes later realize you haven’t cleaned a damn thing because you got too distracted from all the fun percussion, silly guitar phrases, and irresistible non-lexical vocal lines sprinkled throughout the eleven tracks. They played the album in full and while some songs sounded way better to me live than on record (”Where’d You Go?” and “Information Content” spring to mind), other songs like “Julie” and “Rock City” felt a bit off and underwhelming to me. “Julie” in particular set off my alarm bells with the overpowering and oppressive synths that rang out throughout the entire performance being in such stark contrast to the minimalist nature of the studio recording. The song is probably my favorite they’ve ever written and recorded, not only for how hopelessly romantic it all feels (I’m referencing how the song makes me feel and not exactly looking at the lyrics here in case the song is actually ironically soul crushing) but for its incredibly minimalistic guitar and drum parts. The beauty of the song, at least to me, is found in how little of those instruments are there and to bring such a backgrounded part of the song to the forefront really clashed with the expectations I had going in being so excited to hear that song performed live for the first time in Horsegirl history! Maybe it was where I was standing, but I couldn’t even really hear the vocals over how loud the synths were for the entire performance.
Other than that, Horsegirl put on a very fun set, especially when they dug a little deeper going back a few years to their first album with songs like “Option 8” and their magnum opus “Anti-glory”. Even though “Anti-glory” got the most cheers and sounded absolutely stellar, their sped-up punkier live version of “Option 8” stole the whole show for me and was probably my favorite performance of the night. They ended on “2468”, the first taste they gave fans of the new album back in November 2024. It’s one of my favorites from the Phonetics On and On for how damn fun and cheerful it is. The song somehow transports me into a place in my mind that blocks out all negative emotions or thoughts and everything is just pure for three minutes. It truly is a gift these days and a very hard thing to accomplish as a band but Horsegirl ain’t your average equestrians off the street.
Despite a couple of critiques I had for Horsegirl’s set, the show itself as a whole was a great night and got me back into that concert-going mood again! I always taper off at the end of the year and the beginning of the year isn’t all that better but Horsegirl got me feeling that feeling that will hopefully only grow exponentially in the coming months with all the great shows coming down the line! If you ever find yourself in the same city as Horsegirl, definitely check them out. A band of their caliber with such an intense familiar bond as theirs doesn’t come around too often. While you’re at it, give Phonetics On and On, as well as Versions of Modern Performance, a few spins on the ol’ turntable before winter is officially dead and gone (Horsegirl is and will always be winter music to me and no, I am not taking questions at this time) and before you have to make way for Beach Bunny spring and summer!
All photos by Lorenzo Zenitsky