Thurston Moore Discusses the Possibility of a Sound Youth Reunion

Moore Discusses Reunion Prospects

Terston Moore spoke about the chances of reuniting Youth in a new interview.

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The former frontman of the New York group, which included his ex-wife Kim Gordon, guitarist Lee Ranaldo, and drummer Steve Shelley, parted ways in 2011 after 30 years together. The band split following Moore’s difficult divorce from Gordon.

Future of Sonic Youth

In a recent interview with Billboard, Moore closed the door on any hopes for a reunion of his beloved group in the future. “We examined so much territory that I do not feel that this is a story left inexpressible. I think that it really was a good trajectory, and of course it does not seem unfinished to me,” he stated.

Back in 2014, Moore reflected on his separation from Gordon, expressing, “I will always have such an experience of sadness that brings separation.” He remarked on the separation, saying, “I had problems of life,” and added, “In your 40s and 50s, things can change so that it is upsetting the order of things that have been established for more than 25 years of marriage. It really upsets. You must work this out; it is very personal, and I’m not really talking about it. This is extremely… It’s just what I work in my own world.”

A year prior, Gordon also addressed the reasons for her split from Moore, attributing it to a “middle age crisis” and “star woman.” At that time, Moore chose not to engage with her comments directly, stating, “I would not prefer.”

Moore also weighed in on a potential return in a 2023 interview with New York Times and expressed pessimism, saying, “I would prefer to be like Beatles and I am never going together.” However, he did concede that a reunion of Sonic Youth “may be” worthwhile.

Speaking about his relationship with Gordon, he remarked: “We are adults. We can find our world in such a situation. We are very connected in our family with my daughter, my nieces, and everything else. This is not like some kind of hatred or something like that.”

Reflections from Kim Gordon

Speaking with NME in 2019, Kim Gordon shared insights about the music industry and the legacy of Sonic Youth. She remarked on the current state of music, saying, “Well, there is a certain aspect in what I like, what I like. You can just take what you need. You know, to remove the reverb effect from this record and put it on this song here. This is a kind of garbage business, and I like it. But basically I do not pay attention to the music. I have to.”

She added, “… it is very similar to the world when Sonic Youth has been together and plays. More attention could be paid, although I really did not read Katya Stone or any of them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RRTA5M7-UA

When hearing Sonic Youth’s sound echoed in other groups, Gordon noted: “Sometimes, in fact. Once during a photo shoot, they played a playlist that began with Deerhunter and included all other music. At some point, I thought: ‘Sonic Youth,’ and then ‘is it my bloody Valentine?’ It was this DIIV group, and they sounded interesting.”

Back in March, Gordon reunited with Kim Deal to perform “Little Girl” by Sonic Youth. During their joint appearance on Netflix’s new talk show, Everyone Lives hosted by John Mulaney, Gordon was the first to perform, singing her song “Bye Bye” from her 2024 solo album, “The Collective.” She later joined Deal to perform “No One Loves You,” the title track from her debut solo album released last year.

Then, they collaborated on the Sonic Youth track “Little Trouble Girl,” a song featuring Deal’s vocals from the 1995 LP *Washing Machine*. This was the first time that Gordon and Deal performed it together live, as Deal had only previously contributed to a studio recording but had never performed it live before their split in 2011.

Meanwhile, in February, Sonic Youth and Thurston Moore released “Hold the Tiger,” a rare live recording from 1987, featuring the late Steve Albini introducing the group before they performed, as well as their four cover tracks of Ramones.