Horsegirl – the Chicago trio of Penelope Lowenstein, Nora Cheng, and Gigi Reece – have shared a new single, ‘Billy’. Their debut release for Matador, the track was recorded at Chicago’s Electrical Audio and co-produced with John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile). Check out its accompanying video below, and scroll down for the band’s newly announced 2022 US tour dates.
Horsegirl said in a statement about the new track:
There was a period of last year where the three of us spent everyday together writing and recording. It was during this time, when we practically lived in Penelope’s basement, that ‘Billy’ was written. Penelope had recently read about Nick Drake’s alternate tunings prompting her to detune her guitar, while Nora overlaid a rhythmic vocal line detailing the life of a fictional character, Billy. At the time, we had been listening to a lot of New Zealand underground bands (80’s/90’s Flying Nun). With that scrappiness in mind, we worked the rest of the song out through improvising together, and ‘Billy’ quickly fell into place.
‘Billy’ is our first release with a label, and it feels particularly special that it is with Matador, whom we have admired since we were young. After a year of hard work, we are very happy to finally share music, especially with those who have uplifted Horsegirl in the last year. We feel so thankful to have been able to record this song with John Agnello, who’s work we adore, at Electrical Audio, a Chicago institution. Recording this song was a dream experience for us, and John has become a very trusted mentor.
Commenting on the video, they added: “We shot the ‘Billy’ music video with our friends on a rainy Chicago day and feel particularly thankful for everyone who danced the twist with us, and those who gave us their apartment, camera equipment, film expertise, and feedback. This video is a love letter to our city and friends. The song is a love letter to past music scenes we wish we could have witnessed. Please listen to ‘Billy’ in your kitchen with a group of good friends and dance along– we can’t wait to share it with you.”
The ‘Billy’ 7” will be available on March 11, featuring a cover of the Minutemen’s ‘History Lesson Part 2’ on the B-side. Horsegirl previously released the singles ‘Forecast’, ‘Sea Life Sandwhich Boy’, and ‘Ballroom Dance Scene’.
Horsegirl 2022 US Tour Dates:
Wed Mar 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW
Thu Mar 17 – Austin, TX – SXSW
Sat Mar 19 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA
Sun Mar 20 – Washington, DC – DC9
Tue Mar 22 – New York, NY – Market Hotel