Since the end of Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon has continued to innovate. In 2024 her second solo record ‘The Collective’ earned rave reviews and multiple Grammy nominations and she returns with the hotly anticipated ‘Play Me’, a rambunctious effort that is rich and frenetic across a clipped 30 minute running time.
Justin Raisen, who helped produce ‘The Collective’, is once again on hand, his work with the likes of Charli XCX and Kid Cudi obvious in this record’s genre-hopping swirl. His more pop-facing electronic work and influences jostle for control with Gordon’s investigations of rock textures — it is becoming a collaboration for the ages.
Girl with a Look, for example, has a driving motorik beat and swirling synths while No Hands is closer to what fans might have expected from Gordon in the late 1980s, full of fuzzy distortion.
There are shades of St Vincent’s work, particularly in the guitar tones, while Black Out is a 90 second commentary on AI with scuzzy vocals. It is a timely, effective statement.
Busy Bee features Dave Grohl on drums and it is, unsurprisingly, a standout. It’s another unpredictable blend, using vocal samples from MTV’s Beach House to create a slightly chaotic atmosphere.
‘Play Me’ is a constantly surprising, avant-garde project that veers from genre to genre — a playful, energetic late career peak from a bona fide icon. Its 12 tracks fly by in a highly enjoyable blast of a record that continues to build Gordon’s legacy outside of Sonic Youth.
Kim Gordon Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue April 14 2026 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
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