Kim Gordon’s sixth independent studio album, “PLAY ME,” shows that even at 72 years old, Gordon remains experimental. 

Released on Friday, “PLAY ME” is a quick, roughly 30-minute listen, with 12 tracks acting as an anti-capitalist and personal narrative puzzle.

Prior to her solo work, Gordon became a prominent voice in alternative music as a founding member, bassist, songwriter and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth, according to an article by The Guardian.

Unapologetically bold, Gordon’s messages are raw and loud without having to rely on catchy choruses or impressive bass riffs to capture the attention of listeners

The album sounds like a massive middle finger as Gordon touched on topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI), tech expansion and Mars exploration.

By Gordan’s refusal to soften any of the harsh instrumentals or blunt lyrics, she’s not looking for approval from streaming algorithms.

The fourth track, “BLACK OUT” has an industrial hip-hop sound similar to the song “Gnarly” by Katseye.

Gordon flatly delivers an anti-AI monologue with a grungy trap instrumental with lyrics aggressively singing, “AI might be the new season’s flu / Industrial waste never goes out of taste.”

However, her lyrics become lost and sloppy towards the end of the track, which is a common shortcoming of the album.

For example the lyrics, “You don’t Trump me / I Trump you / Trump you” are repetitive without clear meaning.

Track 6 “NOT TODAY” is the most true to the classic sound Gordon had with Sonic Youth. 

Drums and synth start the track until a reverb-fueled guitar cuts through, bringing in more emotion than the rest of the album.

The lyrics of the track show a retrospective side of Gordon compared to the angry blunt sound listeners expected from the rest of the album for example, “There’s a hole in my heart / There’s a hole, there’s a hole.”

The music video that accompanied the track is beautiful and full of sunfilled cut scenes.

Gordon is incredibly honest in the video, while the visuals match the dreampop sounds.

I appreciate how real Gordon is in her body in an era of body modifications and celebrities removing signs of their aging. It’s refreshing to see a woman be unapologetically herself.

Throughout the video, Gordon can be seen dancing through a room while wearing a flowy blue dress, giving the representation of girlhood.

Her lyrics in this song show a less romantic side of being a woman, of having one’s appearance viewed as their most important trait: “Never mind the mess, it’s just my dress … Paint me up, make me dark, make me down.”

As the album begins to end, Gordon goes back to her distorted sound in “NAIL BITER.”

Gordon talks about consumerism as a coping mechanism with lyrics singing, “New lipstick, just saw/ nail polish, does it work? / teeth whitener / Push it down, squash it down.”

Gordon’s lyricism reads as if she is begging to be taken out of her body to find relief from never ending consumerism, with lyrics like, “Take me out / Of my body / Gotta get some / Cracker Jack prize, sparkle tights.”

I’ve found myself disappointed with several albums this year, but this was a refreshing creative well thought out piece.

This is an album that the average listener might overlook because of the distorted production, but it’s an incredible piece of art. 

Gordon’s song writing and refusal to submit to popular culture was a needed voice in 2026.