Photo by Todd Fisher.
Horsegirl have revealed a March 2022 tour starting with two shows at SXSW in Austin. Along with the announcement, they've released a new song and video called "Billy," the third track they've they've shared since their first single, "Forecast," dropped in October 2019. "Billy" is the band's Matador Records debut. It will be released as a 7'' single on March 25 that will feature a B-side cover of Minutemen's "History Lesson Part 2" and is available to pre-order now on Resident.
The Chicago trio, which comprises Penelope Lowenstein (she/her), Nora Cheng (she/her), and Gigi Reece (they/them) — all of whom are still in their late teens — released a lengthy statement describing the new song that does it more justice than this writer could:
There was a period of last year where the three of us spent every day together writing and recording. It was during this time, when we practically lived in Penelope [Lowenstein]’s basement, that “Billy” was written. Penelope had recently read about Nick Drake’s alternate tunings prompting her to detune her guitar, while Nora [Cheng] overlaid a rhythmic vocal line detailing the life of a fictional character, Billy. At the time, we had been listening to a lot of New Zealand underground bands (’80s/’90s Flying Nun). With that scrappiness in mind, we worked the rest of the song out through improvising together, and “Billy” quickly fell into place.
“Billy” is our first release with a label, and it feels particularly special that it is with Matador, whom we have admired since we were young. After a year of hard work, we are very happy to finally share music, especially with those who have uplifted Horsegirl in the last year. We feel so thankful to have been able to record this song with John Agnello, whose work we adore, at Electrical Audio, a Chicago institution. Recording this song was a dream experience for us, and John has become a very trusted mentor.
We shot the “Billy” music video with our friends on a rainy Chicago day and feel particularly thankful for everyone who danced the twist with us, and those who gave us their apartment, camera equipment, film expertise, and feedback. This video is a love letter to our city and friends. The song is a love letter to past music scenes we wish we could have witnessed. Please listen to “Billy” in your kitchen with a group of good friends and dance along– we can’t wait to share it with you.
Watch the "Billy" music video above, and view Horsegirl's March 2022 tour dates below.
Horsegirl March 2022 Tour Dates
3/16 - SXSW - Austin, TX
3/17 - SXSW - Austin, TX
3/19 - PhilaMOCA - Philadelphia, PA
3/20 - DC9 - Washington, DC
3/22 - Market Hotel - Brooklyn, NY