In 2016, Kim Gordon released Murdered Out, a track on which she howled over a louche funk bassline as though auditioning for Rage Against the Machine. A collaboration with avant-pop producer Justin Raisen (Sky Ferreira, Yves Tumor), it paved the way for Gordon’s first album under her own name, reflecting her move back to her native LA, where “you can pee in the ocean/ It’s free”.
While No Home Record is a more accessible outing than her avant-garde Body/Head work, Gordon – formerly of Sonic Youth – is still in the business of unsettling. “My nipples are shivering/ Quietly erect,” she whispers on Get Yr Life Back.
Opening with Sketch Artist’s groaning strings, this tracklisting throws out surprise after surprise, watermarked by Gordon’s instantly recognisable husk. Particularly successful is Paprika Pony, which pairs Gordon with a trap clicktrack, and, possibly, a detuned marimba. Since she is not the sort to spoonfeed, the content here often remains elliptical. “Industrial metal supplies,” she whispers on Cookie Butter.
But AirBnB is a pop song that celebrates the freedom of writing in rented spaces, all the while decrying this “American idea”. These punishing, three-dimensional soundscapes connect 70s No Wave with the mischievous end of contemporary digital production: quite a feat.
