Terrence O'Brien

Managing Editor

It's been eight years since Sonic Youth broke up and, along with it, one of indie rock's most iconic marriages. Founding members Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore spent not only 30 years in a band together but 27 years as husband and wife.

Since 2011, the former members seem to have been wandering in the wilderness. They've kept busy with various collaborations, side projects and solo albums. But, most haven't come anywhere close to recapturing the magic of the avant punk band that they shared for three decades. The exception to that rule is Kim Gordon's first solo album (after 38 years as a musician): No Home Record.

The first single, "Murdered Out," was actually released way back in 2016. It was a brash statement of intent. It immediately told the world that Gordon was ready to shake off her past and come in to her own in a post-Sonic Youth world. But she kept us waiting. It wasn't until this month that a full album arrived and she finally delivered on that promise.

No Home Record is dark and abrasive. Not that Sonic Youth couldn't be those things ('cause, oh man, could it), but not in the same way. Where as an album like Bad Moon Rising has an unsettling and at times foreboding sound, Kim's solo record is more angry and claustrophobic. It's a record that feels like it's about to cave in on itself at all times. It's also much more modern and experimental feeling than anything Sonic Youth released in its last decade as a band. As great as these records are, Rather Ripped and Murray Street lack the edge and sense of danger that earlier Sonic Youth albums had. And at times they seemed to dabble in classic rock vibes.

On No Home Record, Kim Gordon manages to recapture what made early Sonic Youth albums so enthralling. To get her edge back, she partnered with producer Justin Raisen, who has worked with the likes of Yves Tumor, Sky Ferreira and Charli XCX. Together they created an album that careens from the Death Grips-esque electronic hailstorm of opener "Sketch Artist," to the noise punk rager "Hungry Baby," to the meditative industrial drone of "Get Yr Life Back."

And it's not as if there's no hint of her musical past on display here. "Air BnB" wouldn't sound out of place on Goo and Gordon's voice is unmistakable. Her borderline monotone can be detached, seductive and threatening all at the same time. And she has the confidence to convincingly deliver seemingly stream-of-consciousness lines that would make a lesser artist seem absurd.

No Home Record is greater than the sum of its parts. While there are certainly standout tracks (like the previously mentioned "Sketch Artist" and "Murdered Out", not to mention the borderline trap of "Paprika Pony") it's the way the whole thing comes together that makes it so impressive. The marriage of electronic and organic instruments, the bending of genres and the drastic stylistic shifts all somehow emulsify into a singular artistic vision.

Sonic Youth, one of the most important bands in my life, is gone. And most likely never coming back. (The split between Gordon and Moore was hardly amicable.) But at least one of its members is once again making art that matters.