Kim Gordon PLAY ME Album Review – Best Tracks and Weak Moments
Hi everyone, it’s Anthony Stirford here from Anthony XO.Music, and today I’m reviewing PLAY ME, the new album from Kim Gordon.
For decades now, Kim Gordon has existed in a space that very few artists ever reach. She isn’t just influential, she’s foundational. As a member of Sonic Youth, she helped shape noise rock in a way that still echoes today. But the thing that stands out now is she clearly doesn’t care about protecting that legacy.
She’s not trying to recreate anything. Her solo work feels like she’s actively breaking her own sound apart. It’s distorted, uncomfortable, sometimes messy on purpose. Most artists at this stage slow down. She’s doing the opposite. More aggressive, more minimal, more modern.
That’s why PLAY ME caught my attention. It feels like someone with nothing to prove, just pushing ideas as far as possible.
Before getting into the album, you kind of have to look at how she built this sound.
Her solo style is basically built on distortion and tension. Nothing clean, nothing traditional. The vocals don’t sit on top, they sit underneath everything, almost buried in the mix. That contrast is the whole point.
With No Home Record, she introduced that. Honestly, it was very experimental. Punk energy mixed with distorted trip-hop textures in a way you don’t really hear often. It wasn’t tight, but it didn’t need to be. It worked because it defined her identity. And somehow her voice actually fit those noisy, youth-like arrangements really well.
Then The Collective came in… and oh damn, that album was hard. Way more distorted, way more aggressive. Her vocals sitting under that sound actually worked perfectly there. That’s easily her best project. You can hear the growth. Everything felt more controlled, more intentional.
So yeah, going into PLAY ME, I expected that same level.
And this is where things start to fall apart a bit.
Her vocals don’t fit the sound the way they used to.
On The Collective, everything felt locked in. Here, it feels like she can’t fully match that abrasive trap and rock production anymore. I’m not even going to dance around it, it does feel like age might be catching up a little here.
Production-wise though? This thing goes hard.
The sound is crazy at times. Hard hitting drums, fast hi-hats, heavy 808s everywhere. It’s aggressive, chaotic, and honestly really impressive. Sonically, I actually like a lot of what’s going on here.
But yeah… the vocals keep pulling me out of it.
They’re not completely bad. There are moments where she sounds good. But across most of the album, it just doesn’t feel right. Not as sharp, not as consistent. And the breathing… you can actually hear it a lot. Once you notice it, it’s hard to ignore.
That’s what frustrates me the most. The production is doing so much, and the vocals just don’t meet it halfway.
The songwriting is there, but it’s not that sharp. Some good ideas, some nice rhymes, but nothing that really carries the album. There are tracks I straight up can’t enjoy, not because they’re filler, but because the vocal performance just doesn’t click for me.
There are still some strong moments though, and this is where the album becomes interesting again.
“GIRL WITH A LOOK” is easily one of my favorites. The production feels kind of nostalgic, those melodic synths sitting on top of heavy 808s give it this strange balance between soft and aggressive. It’s one of the few tracks where everything feels aligned. Her performance is actually satisfying here, more controlled, more natural. The hook “You’re a boy with a hook, a girl with a look” is simple, but it sticks in your head after a couple listens. It’s not trying to be deep, it just works. I also like how the beat doesn’t overpower her completely, it leaves just enough space for her to sit in the mix without getting lost.
“NOT TODAY” feels like it came straight out of The Collective. The drums hit hard, the synths are loud, and once again the production kind of overwhelms the vocals. But here, that actually helps her. Her voice blends into the chaos instead of fighting it. That’s the version of this sound that works best for her. The songwriting is also sharper on this one. That “mess” and “dress” rhyme is simple, but it lands. It shows she can still lock into a groove when everything around her is working.
“SUBCON” is just aggressive in the best way. The bass is heavy, the 808s are thick, and the whole track feels built to hit hard. This is one of those songs where the production carries a lot, but she actually brings enough energy to match it. Even with a slower vocal delivery, there’s still intensity in her tone. It doesn’t feel lazy, it feels deliberate.
“POST EMPIRE” is one of the more interesting risks on the album. The production leans heavily into modern trap, almost minimal in structure, while her vocal approach still feels rooted in indie rock. That contrast could’ve sounded messy, but somehow she balances it. It’s not perfect, but it’s interesting enough to keep your attention. I was honestly surprised this didn’t fall apart.
“NAIL BITER” brings back that The Collective energy again, but in a slightly heavier way. The bassline is more dominant, the whole track feels thicker. There’s a weight to it. She sounds more in control here, like she understands exactly where to place her voice in the mix. It’s one of the more confident performances on the album.
“BYEBYE25!” is probably the wildest track here. It feels like everything is thrown together, metal textures, distorted layers, rage rap energy. It’s chaotic, but that’s the point. It reminds me a bit of Playboi Carti’s sound, especially in how loose and aggressive it feels, but she still keeps it in her own lane. It’s messy, loud, and kind of addictive in a weird way.
Then you get to the weaker moments, and this is where the album dips.
“PLAY ME” as an opener just doesn’t hit the way it should. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t grab you. The production is still abrasive, still in line with the rest of the album, but that jazzy element just doesn’t work for me. It clashes more than it blends. As an introduction, it feels flat. I’d call it mid, nothing more.
“BLACK OUT” is where things really fall off. The production goes full trap, almost like something Metro Boomin would make, but without any of the detail or control. And the biggest issue is her vocals just don’t fit here at all. They sound disconnected. The heavy vocal effects don’t help either, they actually make it worse. This is one of the few tracks that feels like filler, not because of the idea, but because of the execution.
I don’t think PLAY ME is a bad album.
There are some really strong highlights here, and it’s not full of filler. The production is intense, abrasive, and fully commits to her sound. And honestly, the fact she’s still experimenting like this at 72 is kind of crazy. Not many artists are doing that.
But I keep coming back to the same issue.
The production is here. The ideas are here. The energy is here.
The vocals just aren’t.
And that gap is hard to ignore.
Rating: 6/10
- Favorite Tracks: GIRL WITH A LOOK, NOT TODAY, SUBCON, POST EMPIRE, NAIL BITER, BYEBYE25!
- Least Favorite Tracks: BLACK OUT, PLAY ME
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