“Wise beyond their years” is a phrase you’ll readily hear in reference to Horsegirl. The compliment applies to the fullest. With their 2022 debut breakthrough, Versions of Modern Performance, the Chicago trio of vocalist and guitarist Penelope Lowenstein, vocalist and bassist Nora Cheng, and drummer Gigi Reece — then in the middle of their teenage years at that time — already professed a deeper understanding of indie rock classicism from its noisier frequencies a la Sonic Youth and Pavement than bands who had already been at it for more than a decade. That being said, a concept of a remarkable growth spurt shouldn’t be all that surprising in what they’ve accomplished on the sophomore follow-up, Phonetics On and On.

Musical academics are again at the forefront of the trio’s creative approach here, though the application of it resonates differently. Since relocating to New York City where both Lowenstein and Cheng attend NYU, they’ve applied a higher learning and their new found cultural surroundings to their sound by retooling its noisier corners into minimalist indie-pop that — much like the repetitive recounting of round numbers on “2468”, the rapid on-and-off energy of “Switch Over”, or the ticking down of the clock in “Frontrunner” — finds the three methodically designing each song as if they are a form of sonic architecture where every sung syllable, use of an instrument, and the way a tune bends pop melodies loudly out of the quiet has a purpose in holding up its structure.

If it sounds like a more intimate turn than the guitar crash athleticism which they and their fellow Hallogallo peers built a scene and burst into our view with, you’d be wrong. The equal and opposite reaction to restraint is in how it renders a wilder joy in their youthful personal explorations revolving around relationships platonic and romantic on tracks like “Where’d You Go?”, “Well I Know You’re Shy”, and closer “I Can’t Stand To See You”. Entangle violins, gamelan percussion, and the slightest buzz of synths (accentuated by the production hand of Cate Le Bon) into muted offerings such as the longing behind “Julie” or the intentions of breaking dead air on “Information Content”, and warm hues flourish from the canvas’ outlines. This hyper-specificity to detail and arrangement already makes Phonetics On and On an awesome listening experience in its own right. The idea that it did so through a meticulous process of addition and subtraction that eliminates much of the noise and instead embraces space is simply radical.

Highlights: “Where’d You Go”, “2468”, “Switch Over”

Horsegirl’s Phonetics On and On is available now on Matador Records.

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