Horsegirl – Frontrunner
Horsegirl — the New York-via-Chicago trio of best friends Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece — release the single/video for “Frontrunner,” the final single off their upcoming sophomore album, Phonetics On and On, out this Friday via Matador Records.
In conjunction, the band announce a North American summer tour, on sale this Friday at 10am local time. “Frontrunner,” following previously released singles “Julie,” “Switch Over,” and “2468,” showcases the confident simplicity in the band’s songwriting, calling to mind the playful and sparsely populated arrangements of bands like The Feelies and Young Marble Giants. Lyrically, the song leads us through familiar scenes of girlhood and youth, with Lowenstein tenderly singing about a quiet morning reading in bed with your partner sleeping beside you: “In the morning / When you’re sleeping / I can’t wait and I can’t wait to compromise / In the morning / When you’re sleeping – I can’t wait and I can’t wait.”
Directed and edited by the band, the “Frontrunner” video depicts Lowenstein, Reece, and Cheng searching for one another in various locations throughout their hometown of Chicago.
Produced by Cate Le Bon and recorded at The Loft in Chicago, Horsegirl’s original and sonic home, Phonetics On and On explores the limits of the trio configuration— what if instead of filling out songs with distortion, they utilized the expanse that the three of them didn’t occupy? This question is the guiding force behind the record, and the songs are a testament to experimenting with space and texture while maintaining a pop song at the core. It’s an album to dance to, as Reece’s dancing drum melodies and Lowenstein’s bright guitar leads direct your attention to the band’s chemistry and mastery of form.
Horsegirl Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Sat. Feb. 22 – Chicago, IL @ Metro (Record Release Show) ^ &
Fri. Mar. 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church %
Sat. Mar. 22 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat %
Sun. Mar. 23 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings %
Mon. Mar. 24 – Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse %
Wed. Mar. 26 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom %
Thu. Mar. 27 – Somerville, MA @ Arts at The Armory %
Fri. Mar. 28 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater %
Sat. Mar. 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw % &
Sat. June 7 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Tue. June 10 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Club
Wed. June 11 – Berlin, DE @ Badehaus Szimpla
Sat. June 14 – Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound Porto
Mon. June 16 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Tue. June 17 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Wed. June 18 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain
Fri. June 20 – London, UK @ Scala
Sat. June 21 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Sun. June 22 – Glasgow, UK @ Mono
Tue. June 24 – Dublin, IE @ The Workman’s Club
Thu. June 26 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Mon. Aug 4 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon #
Tue. Aug. 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry #
Wed. Aug. 6 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck $ #
Fri. Aug. 8 – Dallas, TX @ Sons of Hermann Hall #
Sat. Aug. 9 – Austin, TX @ Parish #
Mon. Aug. 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #
Tue. Aug. 12 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room #
Thu. Aug. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom #
Sat. Aug. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall #
Tue. Aug. 19 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater #
Wed. Aug. 20 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos #
Thu. Aug. 21 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl #
Sat. Aug. 23 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Basement #
Sun. Aug. 24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court #
Tue. Aug. 26 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater #
^ w/ Lifeguard
& w/ Answering Machines
% w/ Free Range
# w/ godcaster
$ co-headline with Sweeping Promises
#horsegirlmusic