6 westword.com WESTWORD JUNE 18-24, 2026 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Kim Gordon catapulted to fame in the 1980s as a founding member of the pioneering noise rock band Sonic Youth, and has been con- sistently pushing the boundaries of music ever since. After three decades as a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist in Sonic Youth, she experimented with several other side projects before making her solo debut in 2016 with the single “Murdered Out.” On Thursday, July 23, she’ll grace Denver’s Og- den Theatre as part of her Play Me Tour, celebrating her recent album of the same name. Rock afi ciona- dos, this is a one-in-a-lifetime op- portunity to spend a night with one of the most infl uential and iconic fi gures in the genre’s history. Released in March, “PLAY ME” received critical acclaim from outlets like SPIN, DIY, and Clash for blending Gordon’s barbed ob- servations of contemporary society with innovative, genre-bending beats. Naturally, “PLAY ME” was produced by Gordon’s long- time collaborator Justin Raisen, who produced her previous two solo albums, 2019’s “No Home Record” and 2024’s Grammy- nominated “The Collective.” “He has a real anti-establishment attitude, and I’ve always felt pretty anti-corporate. We both enjoy the freedom that we feel when we’re working,” says Gordon of work- ing with Raisen. She feels that their creative partnership, which began ten years ago with her very fi rst solo single, came to full fruition with her latest project: “Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work–that came forth even more on this record.” Gordon and Raisen distilled each track on “PLAY ME” down to its essence, intentionally produc- ing twelve short, urgent songs all under three minutes long. “We wanted the songs to be short. It’s more focused, and maybe more confi dent,” Gordon explains. “I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one.” The instrumentals on “PLAY ME” pull from hip-hop and IDM as much as rock, all infused with Gordon’s signature punk attitude. “PLAY ME” continues Gordon’s legacy of incisive cultural critique, whether taking direct aim at Elon Musk on the aptly titled “Square Jaw” or contemplating the rela- tionship between man and ma- chine on “Dirty Tech.” Wielding dark humor like a double-edged sword, Gordon catalogues the absurdities of modern life that she’s witnessed in recent years. “I have to say, the thing that infl uenced me most was the news. We are in some kind of ‘Post Empire’ now, where people just disappear,” she says, referencing one of the song titles from “PLAY ME.” On the title track, Gordon satirizes the commodifi cation of art by recit- ing the names of curated Spotify playlists over a trip-hop groove. “It’s sort of part and parcel of the convenience culture that we live in, where our choices are kind of cu- rated all the time,” she expresses. “Things are branded in a way that tries to predict what your mood is before you have a mood. I fi nd that interesting, and also really offensive.” Now in her 70s, Gordon still con- tinues to reinvent herself through experimentation, even rediscover- ing a vocal tone she hadn’t used in years on “Not Today.” “I started singing in a way I hadn’t sung in a long time,” she reveals. “This other voice came out.” Self-referential songs on “PLAY ME” pay tribute to Gordon’s own discography and career trajectory, like “ByeBye25,” a remake of her hit “BYE BYE” from her 2024 album “The Col- lective.” Never one to follow the rules, she updated the song with lyrics fl aunting words from Trump’s “banned-words list” of terms his administration has used to justify the cancellation of research and grant proposals. “Busy Bee” uses a sample of Gordon talking with her Free Kitten bandmate Julia Cafritz, pulled from an MTV appearance they did in the 90s. Over drums provided by illustrious guest Dave Grohl, Gordon and Carfi tz voice concerns that still ring true today, drawing attention to the lack of cultural progress made over the course of Gordon’s music career. From her early days with Sonic Youth to developing her own ever-evolving sound with the help of Raisen, Gordon’s daring artistry has never lost its edge. If seeing a living legend perform is on your summer bucket list, here’s your chance! Kim Gordon is playing The Ogden Theatre Thursday, July 23 at 8 p.m. with SASAMI. This show is open to ages sixteen and up, and tickets start at $50. LIVE MUSIC ADVERTORIAL KIM GORDON BRINGS THE PLAY ME TOUR TO THE OGDEN THEATRE String Cheese Incident
