Released: 2019

Genres: Experimental Rock, Post-Industrial, Noise Rock

The Musiquarium’s No Home Record Review Score: 8 out of 10

After being married to her fellow Sonic Youth band member Thurston Moore and releasing several classic and influential albums with him over the course of three decades, it all came to an end in 2011 when the band and relationship dissolved. This closed the books on one of the greatest alternative rock bands of all time and one of the most iconic husband and wife musical collaborations since Paul and Linda McCartney. Releasing a decade after the final Sonic Youth album, Kim Gordon’s debut album finds the veteran rockstar keeping the dissonance and noise of her former band, while injecting some industrial, hip-hop and trap sensibilities into it.

Sketch Artist is a strong opener, with it distorted bass warbles and generally experimental nature. Air BnB is probably the most Sonic Youth-sounding song here, with guitar noise that also recall some of the great post-punk bands of yesterday, like Gang of Four and Wire. Paprika Pony sounds like straight-up trap music. Murdered Out is carried along on a groovy bass line. Don’t Play It sounds like a muffled nightclub. Cookie Butter is a bass-heavy industrial hip-hop song with a beat like a factory. Hungry Baby sounds like The Stooges style proto-punk.

The last couple of tracks drone on a bit and the album never fully commits to the industrial hip-hop sound, with one foot still rooted in the alternative door, but this adds a nice variety to the album and doesn’t break too much of the cohesion. No Home Record is a stellar debut album that finds the alt rock legend restless to push her artistic boundaries, undeterred by age.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Kim Gordon on Discogs.

Back to the 2019 Album Reviews Guide or the Kim Gordon Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard