The Collective

Kim Gordon

The Collective

Second full-length solo album from the Sonic Youth co-founder produced by Justin Raisen (Marissa Nadler, Sky Ferreira, Angel Olsen)

ADM rating[?]

7.8

Label
Matador
UK Release date
08/03/2024
US Release date
08/03/2024
  1. 10.0 |   musicOMH

    An astonishing work that’s at least as good (if not better) than some of the albums with which she made her fame and fortune
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  2. 9.0 |   Paste Magazine

    The former Sonic Youth bassist’s concepts are intrinsic and rapturous on her second solo album, rendered in blankets of feedback and nonsense phrases that are expressionistic and accessible all the same
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  3. 8.5 |   Pitchfork

    Pairing blown-out trap beats and industrial noise with deadpan stream-of-consciousness lyrics, Gordon’s second solo album revels in the broken and the mundane
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  4. 8.3 |   Northern Transmissions

    Most aging artists might struggle to find their footing in the age of algorithms, A.I and influencers, but on Kim Gordon’s The Collective she is seemingly unphased. Instead, she thrives, making an album that succeeds in being as accessible, and interesting as it is noisy and artsy
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  5. 8.2 |   Spectrum Culture

    A noisy, cluttered and conflicted look at being Too Online and other perils of modernity, Kim Gordon alienates and entrances on her sophomore solo album
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  6. 8.0 |   All Music

    Though she's never been a hesitant or unfocused artist, listening to Gordon come into her own on The Collective is a wonder, especially because she's not remaking herself to stay relevant - it's the rest of the music and pop culture world finally catching up to her
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  7. 8.0 |   NME

    The alt-rock hero combines shards of abrasive noise with relatable lyrics that have made her a surprise hit among Gen Z fans
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  8. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Her goal on The Collective, as was her goal with Sonic Youth, is to subvert listeners’ expectations. Gordon will turn 71 next month, and she’s made one of the most daring albums of her career. If you want to get it though, you have to turn it up and submit.
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  9. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Who had Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon making a collection of trunk-rattling near hip-hop and industrial noise on their 2024 bingo card?
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  10. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Gordon has managed to create an album that pushes her legacy as an experimental force even further, another piece in a discography that refuses to be categorized
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  11. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    She is at her best when fully immersing herself in the most experimental sounds the contemporary landscape has to offer, something she has always done
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  12. 8.0 |   DIY

    The gap between music and art seems smaller than ever
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  13. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    The Collective leans further into the heavy dub and trap stylings introduced on 2019’s No Home Record
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  14. 8.0 |   Mojo

    The Candy House's garbled distress flare or the My Bloody Neubauten of I Don't Miss My Mond confirm she is still picking up signals nobody else can. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   Uncut

    There's little identifiable guitar until track five, by which time anxiety and menace have taken hold thanks to the lumbering mien of "Bye Bye" and "I'm A Man"'s monstrous grind. "Shelf Warmer" lets in some air but it too is fabulously foul. Print edition only

  16. 8.0 |   Record Collector

    The needle flickers high into the red with layer upon layer of digital distortion
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  17. 7.6 |   Beats Per Minute

    Some of it is genuinely clever, verging on brilliance, and inherently memorable. Other tracks seem too comfortable in their procedures, shock or individuality absent
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  18. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Glitchy, industrial-tinged word-stew cookery
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  19. 4.0 |   The Observer

    The former Sonic Youth bassist’s follow-up to her acclaimed solo debut has some great moments, but tips over into a barrage of distortion
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