Kim Gordon’s vision of art and noise has come sharper into focus just as readily as it has changed—a paradigm of possibility that, four decades on, still feels like a dare. The adventure continues on the artist’s third solo album, 'PLAY ME'.
'PLAY ME' is distilled and immediate, expanding Gordon’s sonic palette to include more melodic beats and the motorik drive of krautrock. “We wanted the songs to be short,” Gordon says of her continued collaboration with LA producer Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Yves Tumor). “We wanted to do it really fast. It’s more focused, and maybe more confident. I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one. Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work—that came forth even more on this record.”
In 2019, Gordon’s debut solo LP 'No Home Record' proved she was attuned as ever to vanguard sounds, mixing avant-rap and footwork into her sonic conceptual art. 'The Collective', in 2024, was brick-heavy and even more daring, led by the tectonic industrial clatter of her packing-list-cum-rage-rap banger ‘BYE BYE’ and earning two Grammy nominations.
The fast-following 'PLAY ME' processes, in Gordon’s inimitable way, the collateral damage of the billionaire class: the demolition of democracy, technocratic end-times fascism, the A.I.-fueled chill-vibes flattening of culture - where dark humor voices the absurdity of modern life. But despite its frequent outward gaze, 'PLAY ME' is an interior record, one in which a heightened emotionality pulses through physical jams, rejecting definitive statements in favor of an inquisitiveness that keeps Gordon searching, ever in process.
'PLAY ME' is distilled and immediate, expanding Gordon’s sonic palette to include more melodic beats and the motorik drive of krautrock. “We wanted the songs to be short,” Gordon says of her continued collaboration with LA producer Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Yves Tumor). “We wanted to do it really fast. It’s more focused, and maybe more confident. I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one. Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work—that came forth even more on this record.”
In 2019, Gordon’s debut solo LP 'No Home Record' proved she was attuned as ever to vanguard sounds, mixing avant-rap and footwork into her sonic conceptual art. 'The Collective', in 2024, was brick-heavy and even more daring, led by the tectonic industrial clatter of her packing-list-cum-rage-rap banger ‘BYE BYE’ and earning two Grammy nominations.
The fast-following 'PLAY ME' processes, in Gordon’s inimitable way, the collateral damage of the billionaire class: the demolition of democracy, technocratic end-times fascism, the A.I.-fueled chill-vibes flattening of culture - where dark humor voices the absurdity of modern life. But despite its frequent outward gaze, 'PLAY ME' is an interior record, one in which a heightened emotionality pulses through physical jams, rejecting definitive statements in favor of an inquisitiveness that keeps Gordon searching, ever in process.
STAFF COMMENTS
Darryl says: Four decades into a career built on experimentation, Kim Gordon continues to refine her singular blend of art and noise. Her third solo album, PLAY ME, feels focused and direct, sharpening her sound while subtly broadening it. Bringing in more melodic rhythms and the steady motorik propulsion of krautrock, Gordon crafts hypnotic grooves that retain the cool, exploratory spirit that has always set her apart.TRACK LISTING
1. PLAY ME
2. GIRL WITH A LOOK
3. NO HANDS
4. BLACK OUT
5. DIRTY TECH
6. NOT TODAY
7. BUSY BEE
8. SQUARE JAW
9. SUBCON
10. POST EMPIRE
11. NAIL BITER
12. BYEBYE25!
