Album Review Horsegirl - Versions of Modern Performance

Appearing as a response to punk rock’s blanket tropes, No Wave toyed with dissonance and nihilism that garnered it a cult following. 50 years later, in a vastly different music-scape, Horsegirl are reviving the ephemeral moment that whisked the underground ‘70s into a frenzy. ‘Versions Of Modern Performance’ has both a finesse that echoes indie heartthrobs MUNA’s opiate choruses, and an urgency that calls back to the dense, ravaging musicality of Deafheaven, that notably rears its head in the coda of ‘Billy’ and the scuzzy Goat Girl-harking ‘Option 8’. The pithy ‘Beautiful Song’ canters along at a dream pop cadence while hinting at murkier themes of disenfranchisement and ignorance, where the B movie-named ‘Birdnoculars’ balances heady swells of post-punk guitar licks with a distinctly melancholy persuasion. Horsegirl owe the swinging ‘70s a debt, but they are without a doubt paying their dues on this album of controlled chaos. ‘Versions of Modern Performance’ is a gleaming window into a new generation of great American guitar bands.