The legendary Kim Gordon released her third solo album, the Justin Raisen-produced PLAY ME on earlier this year through Matador Records. PLAY ME is reportedly distilled and immediate, and sees Gordon expanding on her sonic palette to include more melodic beats and the motorik drive of krautock.
“We wanted the songs to be short,” Gordon says of her continued collaboration with acclaimed, Los Angeles-based producer Justin Raisen. “We wanted to do it really fast. It’s more focused, and maybe more confident. I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one. Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work—that came forth even more on this record.”
PLAY ME is the follow-up to 2024’s critically applauded sophomore album The Collective, which featured the two-time Grammy-nominated single “BYE BYE.” PLAY ME sees Gordon processing in her imitable way, the collateral damage of the billionaire class: the demolition of democracy, technocratic end-times-like fascism, the A.I.-fueled chill vibes flattering of culture — where dark humor voices the absurdity of our moment. But despite its frequent outward gave, the album is essentially an interior effort, one in which heightened emotionality pulses through physical jams, while rejecting definitive statements in favor of an inquisitiveness and curiosity that keeps Gordon searching — and ever in process.
Amid PLAY ME’s rabbit-hole reality bricolage, pitch-shifted vocals and shadowy layers of dissonance, the album’s material are clear-eyed about the attention they pay to a world that would rather you be distracted and rage-baited into oblivion. “I have to say, the thing that influenced me most was the news. We are in some kind of ‘post empire’ now, where people just disappear,” Gordon says, echoing the title of one of PLAY ME’s tracks.
PLAY ME will feature the previously released “NOT TODAY,” and “DIRTY TECH,” as well as the album’s third single, album title track “PLAY ME.” “PLAY ME” may arguably be the most hip-hop influenced track of the entire album with the song anchored around a swaggering DJ Premier-like production tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with a meditative, modal jazz trumpet line. Gordon’s imitable croon takes on a subtle staccato, hip-hop like flow to match.
Yesterday, Gordon and her backing band performed “PLAY ME” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She finhishes her NYC vist with a surprise, sold-out show tonight at Night Club 101. And because of overwhelming demand, she added a second show at Warsaw on September 16, 2026. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
June 18 – Night Club 101 – New York, NY
June 20 – Storm King Arts Center – New Windsor, NY %
June 21 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland, OH !
June 23 – Metro – Chicago, IL %
June 24 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN %
June 25 – Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI
July 23 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO *
July 25 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA *
July 26 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR *
July 27 – Hollywood Theatre – Vancouver, BC *
July 29 – The Castro Theatre – San Francisco, CA *
July 31 – FWB Fest – Idyllwild, CA
August 1 – Pacific Electric – Los Angeles, CA @
August 2 – Pacific Electric – Los Angeles, CA +
September 11 – Opera House – Toronto, ON ^
September 12 – Theatre Beanfield – Montreal, QC ^
September 13 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA ^
September 15 – Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY ^
September 16 – Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY ^$
September 18 – Black Cat – Washington, DC $
September 19 – Making Time ∞ – Philadelphia, PA
September 20 – Sea.Hear.Now – Asbury Park, NJ
! Aaron Dilloway
% The Fiery Furnaces
* Sasami
@ Sasami and Sarah Register
+ Sleepie Louie and Sarah Register
^ Voyeur
$ Bill Nace
_
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