Chicago indie-rock band Horsegirl played a joyful and exciting show at the Pearl in Vancouver on August 21st. The trio composed of Nora Cheng, Gigi Reece, and Penelope Lowenstein are currently on tour in support of their latest album Phonetics On and On which was released in February of this year.

The show opened with two electric sets from Vancouver indie pop-rock band Scarlet Fever and Brooklyn-based art-rock band Godcaster (which included an interpretive dance on the floor amongst the audience).

With repetitive melodies and soft guitar riffs, Horsegirl is able to demand audiences attention without drawing attention to themselves, even asking for “less lights” to stay focused and simple in their performance. The trio seamlessly trades instruments between songs, with Cheng and Lowenstein swapping between guitar and bass as well as lead and backing vocals song to song. The trio’s friendship and personalities came through in their observational and quirky lyricism and incorporation of indie rock and twee conventions.

Song highlights include “2468,” a twee-pop hit based on counting (or walking) in twos and layering guitar riffs to build a rhythm to dance along to.