The days of Sonic Youth‘s debut on Matador Records are quickly approaching, and while the legendary outfit won’t need much help selling the currently untitled effort, which is due for release this summer, the New Yorkers, particularly one Thurston Moore, sure are hyping the hell out of it.
Ok, so maybe that wasn’t his ultimate intention, but when the singer/songwriter/guitarist recently described the followup to 2006’s Rather Ripped as full of “heavy ass weirdo hooks” and “juicy supersonic songs,” the comments definitely caught not only ours, but basically everyone else’s attention. Oh, and that was before we read about the black metal inspiration. More on this weird, delicious album per Moore via Billboard:
“When I started writing, I was immersed in listening to the Wipers…No Way,’ the first song we recorded, has a total Wipers vibe, if the Wipers were a No Wave band.”
As Spin points out, The Wipers were a punk rock outfit from Portland, Oregon that also played a heavy influence on the styles of Kurt Cobain. Back to Moore…
Moore says lyrics have been inspired by black metal bands, although he promises he’s not mimicking their delivery. Other tracks include “Leaky Life Boat,” which compares being alive to being in the aforementioned sinking ship, and “Burning Shame,” a tribute to the late Fred “Sonic” Smith.
Advertisement“We’re super inspired to make a fresh start,” says Moore. “We’re glad to be dealing with a label that loves songs.” Beyond that, not much has changed. “It’s rock-centric, but still experimental…We’re still Sonic Youth. I still don’t know how to play the guitar.”
So let’s see. Weird ass hooks + juicy supersonic songs + black metal + “rock-centric, but still experimental” + modesty = new Sonic Youth album? Then again, was anyone expecting anything different?
Ahead of the release, Moore and Co. will be splitting their time between collaborations with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, a stint in Austria and Germany, and an appearance at New York’s No Fun Fest on May 16th.
Sonic Youth 2009 Tour Dates:
04/22 – Krems, AS @ Donau Festival
04/23 – Munich, DE @ Haus der Kunst
04/24 – Dusseldorf, DE @ 3001
05/16 – Brooklyn, NY @ No Fun Fest