The former Sonic Youth member's third solo record kicks off cruisy and playful before morphing into electroclash chaos
PLAY ME kicks off all playful and cruisy, but morphs into the electroclash chaos that is BYEBYE25! to close.
Horns weave through the opening title track, during which lyrics cite lame Spotify playlist names (eg. “Make-Out Jams”, “Rich Popular Girl”, “Villain Mode”).
A rerecording of BYE BYE – from Kim Gordon’s previous solo album, 2024’s The Collective – BYEBYE25!’s updated lyrics are a grim listicle cherrypicked from Trump’s banned words: “Trauma, privilege, uterus, men who have sеx with men, measles, pеanut allergy, abortion…”
- Label: Matador
- Release: out now
- Listen on Spotify
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Standout track GIRL WITH A LOOK – with its hypnotic, rolling beat – finds Gordon in raunchy, raspy mode: “You’re a boy with a hook/ A girl with a look/ At me” – such innovative phrasing!
BUSY BEE’s spoken-word intro samples and distorts an audio grab from the 1994 episode of MTV Beach House that was hosted by Gordon and her Free Kitten bandmate Julia Cafritz. “Hey, didn’t you used to be in a band called STP?” Gordon asks. Cafritz replies, “Yeah, those boys are lucky that we broke up…” Dave Grohl pelts the skins on this one, adding supplementary ’90s clout.
Elsewhere: DIRTY TECH’s skittish beat underscores a catchy hook, SUBCON goes all rage-rap on our arses and relentless, tinny hi-hats cut through NAIL BITER’s static-electricity crackle like fingernails tapping on glass.
The former Sonic Youth member’s third solo record is replete with ear-catching lyrics (“Put your lips together and blow”), which play a starring role throughout.
A reminder that AI could never replace true artistry, PLAY ME should be digested with maximum curiosity.
