Matador have launched the wonderful behind the song for Horsegirl’s ‘Julie’.
Horsegirl — the New York-via-Chicago trio of best friends Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece — released the new single/video, ‘Julie,’ from their upcoming second album, Phonetics On and On, out February 14th, 2025 via Matador Records. Following the “spunky and freewheeling” (Stereogum) lead single ‘2468,’ ‘Julie’ serves as the album’s centerpiece, with synth drones acting as an ocean for Lowenstein’s vocals to sail above, all while Cheng’s wonderfully avant-garde anti-solo’s pierce through the woven sea.
The video, directed by Amsterdam-based animator Daphna Awadish Golan, started as a month-and-a-half animation process, and represents the song’s themes of moving into a new city, the cold of winter, and unrequited love. Much of her animation work features animals as stand-ins for people. Golan individually prints each frame of the background video and then hand draws with oil pastels on top. She scans all of those frames back in to create the final composition, with the tactile nature of her style and process being something that highlights the mood created by the track.
About Horsegirl:
Since their debut release in 2022, much has changed for the band. In the fall of that year, they relocated to New York City, where Penelope and Nora were to attend NYU. It was the first time the trio had written music outside of Penelope’s parents’ basement. You can hear the push in a new direction by virtue of their new environment, but through this time of unparalleled change, the band turns inward. They write with unanticipated honesty, leading us through scenes of girlhood and youth. Friends gathered around the kitchen table, smiling. Silent walks down cold streets as words freeze in air. Quiet mornings reading in bed with your partner sleeping beside you. The indelible truth is that Horsegirl is a band of best friends; being around them you can see that love in their eyes and it is always a joyous thing to witness.
It’s a love that is ever-present in Phonetics On and On. From the first seconds of ‘Where’d You Go?,’ tenderness reverberates back and forth across the recording. Gigi’s dancing drum melodies and Penelope’s bright guitar leads direct your attention to the band’s chemistry and mastery of form. Horsegirl has the same playful rhythmic sensibilities of bands like The Feelies and Young Marble Giants, while still carving a path of their own. There is a confident simplicity to the songs of Phonetics On and On that brings the band’s songwriting ability to the forefront. These are songs to dance to.
Horsegirl Online
