After an impressive South by Southwest where they won the Grulke Prize for
Developing U.S. Act, Chicago’s Horsegirl have shared a second single from their forthcoming debut album Versions of Modern Performance ahead of its June 3 release on Matador. “World of Pots and Pans” follows lead track “Anti-glory,” and is accompanied by a clever video in which the trio—Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals) and Gigi Reece (drums)—hand-animate the lyrics on an old-school overhead projector.
“‘World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever
written—or the closest thing to it,” Horsegirl explain in a statement. “We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first-ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.”
Indeed, the track’s lyrics are littered with nods to rock bands in whose traditions Horsegirl work. Cheng’s lead vocals and a rush of fuzzy guitars kick in simultaneously, as sudden as her narrator’s feelings: “Emma was my brand new friend / Fun to see how this one ends / Lovelee Sweet, she walks like she can’t see,” she sings, rueful, romantic and amused all at once. Reece’s surging drums speed the track toward its inevitable conclusion, while Lowenstein lends her voice to Cheng’s only sparingly. “Emma was / Emma was / Emma was my brand new friend,” Cheng repeats over the song’s explosive crescendo, begging the question, “What is she now?”
“We made the lyric video in a couple hours,” Horsegirl continue. “The three of us had a fully formed vision of what it should look like and were able to quickly execute the real-time ‘animation’ in only two takes. It feels special to showcase our creative chemistry, and Nora was able to finally carry out her childhood dreams of making an OK Go (ish) type video.”
Horsegirl will play Boston Calling Festival in late May and a hometown record release show on June 5 before embarking on a tour of the E.U., U.K. and North America set to run from early June through early August, culminating in a newly announced Aug. 10 show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. They’ll also perform at Detroit’s Mo Pop Festival and Chicago’s Lollapalooza this summer.
Watch the “World of Pots and Pans” video below, and see the band’s tour dates further down—new shows are in bold.
Horsegirl Tour Dates:
May
29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
June
05 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^
10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer
12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby
16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar
17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label
19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW) – SOLD OUT
19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW) – SOLD OUT
21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement)
22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club – SOLD OUT
26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch
July
01 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022
02 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs
15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall *
16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon *
22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line *
27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
30-31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival
31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Music Festival
August
02 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
03 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
05 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
06 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus *
10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
(^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter)
(* w/ Dummy)
