The Collective is the second solo studio album from former Sonic Youth guitarist, bassist, and vocalist, Kim Gordon. She formed Sonic Youth with her ex-husband, Thurston Moore, in the early 1980s, and their band released 16 albums from 1981 until 2013, when her and Moore divorced. I haven’t heard a lot of Sonic Youth’s music, but the music that I have heard I’ve enjoyed immensely. This album is a vast departure from that band’s sound, and the sound from her previous solo album, No Home Record.
We open up the album with the first track and lead single from the album, “BYE BYE,” which has a heavy distorted bass and trap beat. The growly synth lead is abrasive and the production on the track starts us off with a very dark sound. The distorted guitar in between verse 1 and 2 is a nice touch. The lyrics aren’t super deep as Gordon is just listing everyday items like hoodies, toothpaste, and mascara, and tasks like buying a suitcase and calling the dog sitter. I like this song, because it sounds like a Soundcloud era XXXTentacion song. The crashing synth and drum combination in verse 3 adds an even gnarlier sound to the album. I love the heavy distorted guitar at the end paired with the high hats and snares as the song comes to a close. Already a favorite, so far.
Next up, we’ve got the track, “The Candy House,” which has another cool trap beat with a cool electronic keyboard instrumental that sounds like a drift phonk type of keyboard. The lyrics are kinda scattered and creepy sounding which I like, it feels like I’m living in someone else’s nightmare. A lot of the autotune lyrics at the bridge are mostly unintelligible, but Gordon sounds like she’s having a lot of fun. For someone who’s older at 70 years old, she still seems to have a lot of energy in her music.
Following that, we have the track, “I Don’t Miss My Mind,” which has more growling synth bass but less of a trap aesthetic and a schizophrenic synth lead that sounds like a spaceship taking off. We also hear more synthetic growls. Gordon’s lyrics on this track are like a fucked up haiku written by a Batman villain in the asylum. I really like how disjointed and unorthodox this album sounds for the listener. The guitar on the track sounds like a synthesizer at some points. “I’m A Man,” has another cool distorted guitar instrumental with some trap-like drums. “It’s not my fault I was born a man, come on, Zeus, take my hand.” In addition, Justin Raisen really went off on the production, and Kim Gordon’s dark vocals really make the listening experience a journey.
“Trophies,” discusses the sport of bowling, and asks the listener, “Will you go bowling with me? Double or nothing,” The heavy bass with the tribal-like drums and distorted guitar, paired with the autotune backing vocals is very visceral. “It’s Dark Inside,” opens with some of the noisiest synths on the project, which is saying something. The lyrics are also darkly sexual in the second verse, which I don’t have an issue with it’s just very random. Definitely not one of my favorite tracks, as it feels a little less focused than the other tracks. I also like the subtle criticism of American gun laws, “You want to be American, get your gun, you’re so free. You can shoot me.” A lyric that’s far too real given the current state of our society.
After that we get, “Psychedelic Orgasm,” illustrates modern LA pretty well, in my view. Gordon’s passing all the kids who are making TikToks and drinking smoothies. I like the heavily processed bass, which doesn’t even sound like a bass guitar, with how distorted it is. The refrain is also strangely beautiful with it’s auto-tuned vocals of “LA is an art scene.” With the fuzzy guitar chords in the background. I like the picture this track paints of L.A., as for Gordon, it’s probably a lot different than the LA she experienced when she was in Sonic Youth. Keep in mind, she’s 70 years old but doesn’t really seem that way, given how much energy she has with her music, and how well her sound adjusts to changing trends in the music industry. “Tree House,” has percussion that sounds like something out of a Zelda dungeon and a guitar loop with heavy fuzzy distortion. I like the echoing visual of “ridin’ in a sports car and lookin’ at the stars.” The noisy sound of this album is truly a trip to listen to, it’s clearly heavily influenced by mid-2010s Soundcloud rap. She describes a man with fire in his eyes, which is a gnarly visual.
Following that, we get some another trap-infused track, in “Shelf Warmer,” where she it feels like she’s almost rapping over the beat. I like the drum machines that are featured on the majority of this album, it has a consistency and clear theme, but I also like it when the percussion sounds more tribal. I also like when her guitar playing is featured, because she’s a very talented guitarist. The beat on this track is mostly just a trap drum instrumental with the occasional reverb soaked guitar popping in briefly. The following track, “The Believers,” made me jump when it first started, that heavy industrial bass growling at me caught me by surprise. However, I enjoy when music is industrial sounding. This track has some distorted bells, and it feels like Gordon’s reverbed vocals are sort of buried under all the distortion, which might be intentional. At some points, the song almost sounds like something off of a Burzum album, a group which I didn’t think that I’d be referencing in this review. I will say the one downside that this track has is that it goes on a bit too long, being nearly 5 minutes long.
Finally, we finish off the album with the cut, “Dream Dollar,” which has a much more uptempo sound to it, and sounds less trap-influenced, trading that for a more noise-rock sound. There’s not much to this track lyrically, but I like the production on the track, with that blown-out guitar hammering, and the heavy bass.
This album definitely isn’t for everyone, as it’s very abrasive, and avant-garde. Hell, I don’t even know if all Sonic Youth fans would enjoy it, but I was thoroughly engaged by this album, and I respect the controversial artistic direction that Kim Gordon took with this album, as it sounds very rough and heavy. It’s a huge departure from the past music I’ve heard from her, as it is a heavy mix of industrial hip hop, trap, and cloud rap. At some points there’s noises that I didn’t think were possible from instruments such as the electric guitar and bass. I would recommend this album to fans of Sonic Youth, those who want to listen to music that feels very similar to Death Grips or Burzum, and those that enjoy a more intense subgenre of alternative rock. Having listened to this album, I want to listen to more Sonic Youth and Gordon’s first solo album. In conclusion, it’s an album I’d recommend, but the niche that it appeals to isn’t to a broad audience, it’s for hardcore fans, and it sounds a lot different than most mainstream alternative rock.
Overall Score: 7/10
Favorite Tracks: “BYE BYE,” “I’m A Man,” “The Candy House,” “Psychedelic Orgasm,” “Tree House”
Least Favorite Tracks: “It’s Dark Inside,” “The Believers”
Listen To: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_3KJkezWOs
Genres: Hip Hop/Trap/Industrial