Usually the acts that generate the most-deserved pre-release hype are the ones so obviously not even seeking it. And the formidable buzz around Versions of Modern Performance, the debut full-length from Chicago's Horsegirl, is considerable. Thankfully, the Matador Records release is worth praising considerably.
The trio of Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) conjure up a sound here that seems fully-formed and effortlessly cool. While bits and pieces echo Sonic Youth, or carry a whiff of Pavement about them, there are others that suggest a path forward for American indie. We're in faintly new territory here, with elements of the past lingering but not overpowering the rawk. "Beautiful Song", with its smooth vocals and guitar noise imagines the class of 1978 crafting cleaner tunes, even as "Anti-Glory" is as brash as anything Kim Gordon ever cranked out. "Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)", lovely as it is messy, spirals with a mix of pre-Loveless MBV-y churn, even as the vocals are as neat in spots as early Liz Phair.
Cherry-picking bits of Versions of Modern Performance to highlight, connecting the dots back to bands these three musicians are too young to have ever seen live, for example, is a futile gesture. Horsegirl have no time for that kind of thing, looking to the past not so much for their sound as for examples of how to craft one. Like early Pavement, or Eighties Sonic Youth, Horsegirl work at marrying feedback and melody, with the best showcase for their talents being "Option 8" late on this album. With a hook that's like Matrix-time Buzzcocks, this is an absolute gem, and one of many here.
Horsegirl never seem like they're trying too hard. A listener to something from a band this naturally good sort of hopes that the players are not steered wrong in the future by producers or labels. For now, this full-length document of their craft is one of the best records of 2022 and it's only June. Versions of Modern Performance is superb.
Versions of Modern Performance is out on Friday via Matador Records.
[Photo: Cheryl Dunn]