Horsegirl - Simple Songs

To mark the release of “Phonetics On And On”, the much-anticipated sophomore album from Horsegirl, we had the pleasure of having a chat with drummer Gigi Reece, who was busy doing laundry, asking her a few things about the band's shift in sound and their collaboration with Cate Le Bon, who produced the record. That said, unfortunately the time doesn't seem right yet for the trio to bring their show to an Italian stage anytime soon.

Hi Gigi, let's break the ice - how are you, and how's the wait for the release of "Phonetics On And On" going?

Thanks for asking, I'm just having a nice day doing laundry, and the wait for "Phonetics On And On" has been pretty intense. I mean, there's a lot to do with press, but the world still hasn't actually heard our record, and we've been sitting on it for over a year now, so I'm really excited that everyone will finally be able to hear it, and that it'll be out there for anyone who wants to listen.

"Versions Of Modern Performance" leaned more towards the noise of Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo, while on the new record slacker and pop influences take over instead. What made you change gears?

I think what led us there was just the natural change in our lives, and that the songs on our first record were like a collection of everything we'd done during our high school years and as a band back then. I think those tracks were all written with the intention of making our second album as a continuation of the first one, and it was really motivating to have that final image in mind.

Were you listening to anything in particular while writing the album?

Yes, I think our musical tastes expanded beyond what we listened to in high school, which was actually really close to alternative rock and Nineties indie-rock, which of course we've always loved. I think we explored new territory - personally I dug a lot deeper into similar eras from before that, meaning music from the Sixties and Seventies; I listened a lot to the Kinks, the Beatles and Bob Dylan, a huge figure for all three of us, and later also indie-rock from the 2000s and the last decade, to recognize what built that music scene into what it is now. As if we couldn't deny that we're part of contemporary indie-rock, like we could make a record that sounds like Nineties music, but we're not putting it out in the Nineties. We all gained a broader view of music compared to before, when we were really focused on appreciating particular scenes we were obsessed with, and I think that really shaped the way we approached the songs on this record.

Cate Le Bon stands out as producer. How did this collaboration come about, and what was it like working with her?

Cate was someone we wanted to work with, like our ultimate dream; if there was anyone who could produce our record, Cate Le Bon was the right person for it. We made a handful of demos, we were writing these songs, working on the sounds for the record, and our manager suggested to us: "Hey, how would you feel about the possibility of Cate Le Bon producing your sophomore album?", and it was mind-blowing for us that this was even an option. Then we had a call with her on Zoom: she was interested in our demos and clearly we had very similar reference points for what we wanted to achieve. It was a really lovely collaboration - I don't think we'd ever let anyone into our creative process the way we let her in. I think it's changed the way we'll make music, record it, and think about songwriting for the rest of our lives. Because Cate, in the end, is a huge source of inspiration, and she really knows what she's talking about when it comes to music - she follows her instincts in a way that's genuinely inspiring.

Your songs have very simple lyrics and sound like nursery rhymes centered on everyday life and change. From that angle, I'm curious about the origins of a track like "Sport Meets Sound".

Interesting. I mean, we were definitely trying to channel the beauty of a nursery rhyme and rudimentary songwriting, because songs and music are something that can connect anyone beyond language, like when a kid doesn't know how to talk yet, but still likes to dance to their own rhythm just like we do. We were studying and thinking about those childlike sounds, and I think that's what led us to play with much cleaner guitars rather than noisy, distorted ones. "Sport Meets Sound" I think was really the first song we wrote for this record, and the first one we started playing live for this album. And that was our first moment of saying: "Hey, what if we used clean guitar sounds?". The chorus is catchy, and the way the track moves is really intuitive too. I think we were using that song to try to follow our instincts: the guitar part shines here, the bass part holds it steady, the drum part shifts, and it's also really fun to play. One instrument gives way to another, like it's a groove we can really lock into, and the drive of that piece seems to arrive right alongside the principles of how music is able to move you.

Speaking of experimentation, I was struck by the sudden shift at the end of "Rock City". How did this song come about?

That song was one of the first ones we made a demo of, so one of the first four we wrote for the new album, and we already had this idea of a kind of "what if", like the track should ultimately change, become much more driving and take you somewhere else for a second before wrapping up. Just to show how a song can, in an instant, drop everything it had before and have this thrilling moment, even if it's only for a second. I think we were really drawn to that element, like to playing that song live, because it has so much space inside it that it can carry you along like it's still danceable, but it's more of a relaxed song while still being driving. That final moment in a way leads you to the real energy it all comes from, and it's fun for us to have that moment right at the end, where people can get really excited - and then we cut it off right away.

"Julie" is probably one of the focal points of "Phonetics On And On", and it comes with a beautiful video by Daphne Awedish-Golan, which had a pretty long animation process. How did this idea develop?

We had that feeling you mentioned earlier about nursery rhymes and all that. We were inspired by childlike imagery, and I think Daphne's animations recall a really beautifully illustrated children's book; we were immediately drawn to the way she animated them. Everything felt really physical and tactile, like you could see the way she was drawing and all the textures within it. It's really nice when bands have animated videos, and it's nice for us not to be present in every single one, so I think it made sense with the song, because it's so meditative and droney that it was perfect to just have these sweet, very artistic and creative images accompanying it. Daphne really channeled the solitude and meditation that track expresses.

Another distinctive theme of the album is love, and the closing track “I Can’t Stand To See You” ends on a note that touches on an overly sentimental way of thinking. Is the sense of nostalgia stronger, or the urge to look ahead to the future?

In a way, I think they're in dialogue with each other. I think a sense of nostalgia has always been something that's motivated me, and all of us, as artists and musicians, because you create something, and when you get older you can look back and that detail can tell you exactly where you were in the moment you made it. But I also think that to feel nostalgia, to create things, you have to think about the future and make something in a way that it can be looked back on in the future. With this record, in the lyrics and in the songwriting, we did a lot of introspective reflection and talked about our lives and things that happened. Like you said, when it comes to reflecting on love, I think what comes with that is a nostalgia for thinking about potential past love stories, and then also seeing the ways you carry those feelings into your future, even once they're no longer part of your life.

Is there any artist or band you'd like to collaborate with in the future?

That's a great question. I'd obviously have to talk to my bandmates, but I think someone who's making really interesting music right now is Cindy Lee. I don't know if it would necessarily be a Horsegirl collaboration or not, but they're just one of my favorite people making music right now.

I don't think you've ever played in Italy, right?

No, we haven't, but we'd really love to.

When will we get to hear you live?

I still don't know. We haven't planned to come to Italy yet, we're going to Europe and we'll play at Primavera Sound in Spain, which obviously isn't the same thing, but it's more or less in the same area. I hope one day we'll manage to swing through Italy, because I'd really love to go there too.

Thank you so much for your time, Gigi, good luck with the new album!

Thank you so much, have a good evening!

(March 2, 2025)

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