by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Chicago undeniably has one of the best underground music scenes in the country. This isn’t really news, it has been that way for a long time, but now the teenagers are getting in on the fun, and there’s a lot to be excited about. We’ve recently been introduced to Lifeguard (who released their debut album last month) and now we’re thrilled to share a new single from Horsegirl, a trio of teens combining post-punk and shoegaze in their own design. The band formed a little over a year ago and have slowly been releasing singles, each one building on the promise of what came before (the last one is amazingly named “Sea Life Sandwich Boy”). They’re off to an incredible start, with fully realized songwriting that is dense and alluring, falling away from pop structures but remaining infinitely accessible. While the band are hard at work on their debut album, this Friday they will release new single “Ballroom Dance Scene,” which we’re excited to premiere.
“Ballroom Dance Scene” is a slow burner, continuously building, with a lush Fripp inspired guitar backdrop creating tension along the way. Horsegirl - Penelope Lowenstein, Nora Cheng, and Gigi Reece - play with many nuanced ideas, with counterpoint vocals the star of their latest single. The song opens with a tight jangle and a low sung melody, eventually balanced by a stuttering rhythm and another gentle higher registered lead vocal that blends perfectly together with the lower lines as they weave around one another. As the song builds, the distorted intensity grows with it. The feedback leaks into the melody and the vocals really dive in on the anti-hook (“if you want to stay awhile…”), sinking in with a well crafted glow that never truly repeats, but just keeps on digging.