Album review: Kim Gordon shakes off her Sonic Youth reputation on 'PLAY ME'

Kim Gordon solidified herself as a musical and cultural icon decades ago as the trailblazing frontwoman of alternative band Sonic Youth. But, it has become abundantly clear through her solo discography — including her upcoming album PLAY ME —  that the 'Kool Thing' bassist and vocalist is determined to grow alongside the times of modern music. Gordon comes armed with an absolutely packed accompaniment for making this album happen, including names such as Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl on drums and Justin Raisen as producer, a man who has worked with the likes of Charli xcx. However, despite there being some motif throwbacks from the nineties grunge era that made Gordon rise to the top of the alternative music game, her predecessor albums in recent years, like the well-received The Collective, demonstrate a desire to experiment and change, and her upcoming album proves to be no different.

Gordon's upcoming album begins with the title track 'PLAY ME'. The opening track only confirms Gordon's lack of apology for her new experimental style, daring the listener by teasing them to "stand up, hold the line, come on, play me". With minimal instrumentation besides some techno beats and a contrasting brass section, Gordon's lyricism grills her listeners to open their minds to her musical capabilities. Any Sonic Youth fan who hasn't kept themselves updated with Kim Gordon's newest records may be shocked by the opening to this album, but Gordon urges fans to look at rebellion in multiple perspectives: Kim Gordon is still as defiant as she was in her Sonic Youth days, her message has just changed its packaging.

Credit: Moni Haworth @ Beggars Group

Gordon had released the first single of her newest album titled 'DIRTY TECH', and the track is exactly what it says on the tin. 'DIRTY TECH' opens with a grungy synthesising electronic beat, which ripples throughout the song. The record acts as a mould for all rave tracks, with the backing electronic riffs being stereotypical of a beat you'd hear at your local nightclub. Gordon's lyricism again is minimal and repetitive, with the main motif being "talk dirty tech to me". However, Gordon does utilise her talent in this track, with a fluttering feature of a screeching guitar between lyrics that brings the listener to a nuanced middle ground between the club-ready beat and Gordon's punk roots. Overall, Gordon manages to make minimalism in modern music fashionable by adding punk-rock embellishments onto an otherwise modern track.

The album's seventh track, 'BUSY BEE', solidifies PLAY ME as an album all about generating fusion between a multitude of genres. With Grohl delivering a drilling drum beat over Gordon's grimy basslines and guitar riffs, the pair have turned 'BUSY BEE' into a cocktail of experimental music. Gordon has even used snippets of conversations amongst her Sonic Youth band captured in the ninities at the beginning of the track, and blended these seamlessly into the rest of the song.

However, Gordon's anti-establishment sentiments do begin to glimmer amongst her maximalist techno beats: the main lyric throughout this track is her repeated statement that "God, he ain't here". When listening to the album as a whole, it becomes blatantly obvious that Gordon's anarchist musings are not desolate, just merely hidden behind her electronic beats. With 'BUSY BEE', Nirvana's Grohl and Sonic Youth's Gordon remind the listeners why they were nineties music icons, and that they have no issue with incorporating elements from the modern music scene into their own respective sounds.

The album's final track, 'BYEBYE25!' is a sequel to the first track, 'BYEBYE' on her earlier album The Collective, which earned two Grammy nominations at last year's awards ceremony. The newest version of the track follows the same premise as 'BYEBYE', with Gordon using a trap and synth-pop fusion beat to showcase the lyricism she's best known for. Although Gordon's lyrics initially appear to be hilariously thrown in, randomly mentioning "men who have sex with men" and "measles" as isolated statements throughout the track, Gordon's ironic lyricism begs the question of what constitutes as music, and how capitalist musical industries deal with political statements.

Gordon's final track begs listeners to look beyond the lyrics, at a consumerist society where anti-establishment messaging must be kept under synths and electronic pop beats. With Gordon always daring to change how listeners digest the music they consume, 'BYEBYE25!' as a final track does not generate a level of shock when listening to the album as a whole.

Overall, Kim Gordon's latest album deliberately swerves being palatable to listeners; despite certainly being an acquired taste, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Although tracks in PLAY ME could very well be heard at your friends' pre-drinks, local rave, or an after-party that has gone on for simply too long, Kim Gordon's attempt to infiltrate criticism on the consumerist and exploitative society through a mainstream vessel does indeed have the desired effect. In short, if you're a die-hard Sonic Youth fan, maybe stick to 'Kool Thing' for now. However, if techno is up your street, then PLAY ME will be released on all streaming platforms on 13 March .