Phonetics On And On

This is special, timeless music that speaks equally to the heart and the brain and it positions Horsegirl as the keepers of the indie rock flame.

Equal parts pensive and dreamy, minimal yet expansive, Phonetics On and On is the unapologetic sound of confident experimenting, the product of three musicians years ahead of their respective ages. Horsegirl rule, and so does this record. Put it on and on (and on and on and on).

Phonetics finds resonance in repetition, and ritual, zeroing in on its chosen conventions and getting to know them so well that they somehow become unknowable.

The quality of the songwriting hasn’t diminished, but the setting has changed.

The album shows that the students are blossoming, and with confidence, they are beginning to define themselves as more than an imitation act.

It [‘In Twos’], much like the rest of ‘Phonetics On And On’, works because of its lack of pretensions and its back-to-basics spirit. Second time around, Horsegirl are still recasting past greats in their own vision but finding more of themselves as they go.

While Horsegirl aren’t presenting groundbreaking musical ideas, on this joyful second outing the band clearly aren’t shying away from new sonic personas.

While the album dips into lows, the highs make it all worthwhile. Phonetics On and On is a daring second album with the band seemingly coming out as a new band, one obsessed with infectious melodies and fanciful harmonies dancing around glimmering acoustics and cinematic strings.

For all its simplicity, Phonetics On and On is an understated and mature triumph.

In another world, Andy Warhol would want to manage them, but on this evidence, Horsegirl have pop down to an art by themselves. [Mar 2025, p.86]

Even more impressive [than 2022's Versions Of Modern Performance]. [Feb 2025, p.35]

Here, Horsegirl learn how dazzling it is to instead pull back and feel the invisible touch of what was once there, a fizzy tingling on the palms and cushion of silence around the ears. That growth is the most memorable part of Horsegirl’s new album.

Gone are the fuzzed-out walls of sound, instead centering on a minimalist aesthetic. It’s an appropriate slate-wiping from an unpredictable trio.

The album’s regressive middle section, typified by the plodding “Julie” and, to a slightly lesser extent, “Switch Over,” is the sole place where the amiable playing and wallflower persona is so agreeable as to fade into the background. But Phonetics On and On otherwise capably splits the difference between conceptual sophistication and easy-breezy road-trip rock.

In refining their approach, Horsegirl stumbles onto a new set of influences that takes away from their true identity. Nevertheless, there are flashes of brilliance -- Frontrunner, accented with a lovely twang, details a story of romantic yearning that hits deeper as it progresses.

Horsegirl’s songwriting isn’t distinct enough to imply any hidden tension though, and back to back sweetness becomes a little sickly. It’s no surprise that the best songs here are the meaner ones.