Written by Sam Cohen
Every Friday at noon, WXPN invites a band to perform live for their weekly Free At Noon show. On May 23, Horsegirl stopped by the studio to play the World Cafe Live stage for an audience of indie-believers and long-time XPN members.
Horsegirl, the Chicago-turned-New York City-based trio, was the perfect act to grace a breezy Philly morning. Mixing the stillness of their recent LP Phonetics On And On with the grunge of their 2022 debut Versions Of Modern Performance, Horsegirl made noon quickly feel like a late night in a college basement.
Fronted by Penelope Lowenstein and Nora Cheng, with Gigi Reece on drums, the band’s hum-surrounded sound is easy to tune into even if you’re not familiar with them. Their entire catalog is potent in lyrics, while relying on one or two turns of phrase per song, something most new acts lose along the way.
Right at noon, they sprang into the Velvet Underground-like “Where’d You Go,” which features a call and response between Nora and Penelope. “Where’d you go? (Far, far, far away).” It’s one of the many lines reflecting Nora and Penelope’s experience as NYU students, being away from Chicago for the first time.
“Switch Over” was next, and easily one of the most danceable songs in their archives. Like most of the album, “Switch Over” is limited to a few repeated lines that build a whimsical world. Phonetics On And On includes many moments where empty space is filled with thoughtful “la-la-las” and “duh-duh-duhs.”
The group reveals aspects of themselves in every song. The playfulness of the new album comes alive in the live show thanks to Gigi’s fills that connect “La’s” and “Da’s.”
The track that truly reveals the group’s instrumental talent is “Rock City.” It follows the format of most Phonetics tunes until three minutes in, when Nora’s mellow strums turn into a wrangled jam that elicits impressed nods from seasoned Free at Noon veterans.
Horsegirl relied on the childlike “2468” to close out the eight-song set to conclude a half hour of early grooves. A gentle but exciting way to end the set, this got everyone spinning from the dudes at the bar getting their 12:30 PM beer to the kids who were pulled out of school to see their favorite rock stars.
Free At Noon is the perfect type of set for Horsgirl. It’s laid-back, intimate, and for people who love the radio. Penelope told the crowd how excited she was to be there, repeating “We love the radio!”
Horsegirl is touring Europe this June before returning to North America in August. Find dates for their world tour here. For more information on WXPN Free At Noon, visit their website here.
