“The Collective” by Kim Gordon

“The Collective” by Kim Gordon

The intelligent, head-spinning new album from the Sonic Youth co-founder.

From her Sonic Youth days to her impressive solo debut, 2019’s No Home Record, Kim Gordon has always been willing to subvert expectations with deft, almost nonchalant experimentation. For all intents and purposes, the latter LP was a gritty, in-your-face Soundcloud rap record that seemed to be commenting on the subgenre’s far-reaching implications from the inside. She takes that blueprint to the next level with The Collective, a head-spinning listen that uses beefy, hip-hop-style production to frame everything from mundanities and rage-filled rants. It has almost a diary quality about it, capturing snippets of Gordon’s innermost thoughts about the crazy times we live in and how those circumstances have her fearful of a tech-controlled future. “It’s hard enough now to figure out what the truth is,” she told NPR. “That’s mostly what I think of when I think of AI. It seems like it’s going to make everything even more insane.”

Despite its experimental trappings, it’s not like Gordon obscures any of The Collective’s larger meaning. Tracks like “I’m a Man” are uncompromising in how they hold up a mirror to the worst societal tendencies, like the poisonous masculinity she imitates: “So what if I like the big truck?/Giddy up, giddy up/Don’t call me toxic/Just cause I like your butt.” “Psychedelic Orgasm” takes the form of a meandering interior monologue that, after a minute or two, trades in dark humor for straight-up unsettling vibes. “Tongues hanging out/Bodies on the sidewalk/Driving down, sunset/Zombie meditation,” she drones, enveloped in a glitchy, noise-riddled environment courtesy of producer Justin Raisen. It’s deliberately sidestepping many modern music conventions and legitimately pushing the art form’s boundaries.

The Collective, which takes its name from a technological innovation depicted in a Jennifer Egan novel, is not a comfortable or relaxing listen. That’s not Gordon’s game. For fans like me, that’s why her music is so compelling. As one YouTube commentor put it, “Kim is STILL going harder than 99.9% of musicians out there.” I couldn’t agree more.