A rock-fueled look at teenage girlhood
Horsegirl’s debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, has a punk sensibility with a vibrant personality to back it. With the youngest band members being college freshmen, it is remarkable to see how the young trio takes decades-old influences and renews them through their incredible energy. With a fun, upbeat sound, this album has a youthful feel that also relies on older influences. Even with its more superficial lines, there is a cadence that seems to capture what one would want out of a teenage band. In all of its angst, messiness, and glimmers of hope, Horsegirl gives the listener a glimpse of modern girlhood.
“Anti-glory” encapsulates this vision with its verses being more grave and frustrated. The heavy bassline is something that drones into the listener, having a personality of its own. When it finally melds into the chorus, there is a juxtaposition to the verses. In simple declarations, the band commands one to dance. Despite the heavy work at the beginning, one feels compelled to do so. Similarly, songs like “Beautiful Song” and “Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)” have the heart to contrast ruminations with finding simple joys in the world around them.
“Live and Ski” is a varied, complex instrumental piece rather than the more lyric-heavy opening tracks. Here, the band shines in their connection with one another. Even in the distorted guitar and bass layering and playing over one another, one cannot help but see how much fun the band seems to be having. Taking their influences to heart, it feels like a labor of love. The bands’ music is distinct and plays into their strengths, creating a cohesive mixture.
Similarly experimental, “Bog Bog 1” with its wailing guitar almost seems to communicate uncertainty. In slowed-down songs, we gain glimpses of how the band aims to showcase a diverse range, being successful in nearly all of the influences that they take up. “Electrolocation 2” is perhaps the more interesting of the two, with the sound trying to mimic the title. The guitar almost acts as a voice that guides the rest of the highly-distorted work, a remarkably transportive sound.
“The Fall of Horsegirl” is a combination of their earlier tracks. More percussion-leaning, there is a joyful feeling that comes from the bridge being just a simple count from one to six. As the instrumentals swell behind them, there is a push-and-pull between the band members that allows every moment to shine in bright colors. Like “Option 8,” the roaring drums have a driving component that sends the song home. Even if they are more in the background of the bass and vocals, they are perhaps the most invaluable and interesting parts of these songs.
However, perhaps the song that wears its influences most on its sleeve is “World of Pots and Pans,” whose lyrics reference The Pastels, Gang of Four and The Cure, to name a few. The tongue-in-cheek, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it lyricism of the song has such a beautiful play on words that one cannot help but enjoy the ways they invert and play with classic lyrics. It’s a song that represents the album at its core; a heartfelt blend of all of Horsegirl’s influences as they experiment with their sound.
To conclude the album, the track “Billy” has the sound of the early 2000s almost uncannily. In its looping riffs, there is a great deal of nostalgia and appreciation seeping from it. In the end, the album does not leave any great truths about the world. But it certainly makes one happy to live in a world where music is so readily accessible. It is clear that the music from decades ago is getting built up again. Teenagers like Horsegirl promise that the future of rock music is bright.
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