If you’re a young Gen X’er or an older millennial, 2024 has likely been an exciting year for music. Oasis announced their reunion with concerts kicking off in England, while The Sphere hosted U2’s residency in a venue only Vegas could (and would) build.
What’s also noteworthy is that some of the ’90s most iconic stars—Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Kim Deal (Pixies, The Breeders), and Beth Gibbons (Portishead)—have released critically acclaimed solo albums in 2024.
These albums—The Collective (Gordon), Nobody Loves You More (Deal), and Lives Outgrown (Gibbons)—highlight their ongoing evolution as artists. While Deal has previously released a few tracks under her name, and Gordon previously released a solo album, this moment is particularly significant still for both Deal and Gibbons, and all three together as a spiritual reunion of the 1990s leading rock stars.
What’s Notable About Each Album:
Beth Gibbons – “Lives Outgrown”
Each artist seems to intentionally contrast their current work with their previous ones, which is especially true of Gibbons’ album “Lives Outgrown”. While she still creates complex, layered soundscapes, the music here is more organic and analog compared to her Portishead days. In Floating on a Moment, the dramatic lyrics “(All going to nowhere, to nowhere) it just reminds us, Not that I don’t want to return, It just reminds us that all we have, all we have is here and now,” combined with beautiful strings, gives us a haunting, orchestral pop banger.
Tracks like Rewind and Lost Changes channel influences like Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) and Kate Bush, but the moodiness and contemplative lyrics suggest that if anyone were to remake The Seventh Seal, Gibbons’ album would be the ideal soundtrack. Lyrics like, “Love changes, things change, Is what changes things / Time changes, life changes, Is what changes things” in Lost Changes deeply resonate with themes of mortality, time, and inevitability.
Kim Gordon – “The Collective”
Gordon, the oldest of the trio at 71, embraces modern sounds and tech most fully, giving off a confrontational, neo-Gary Numan vibe. Much of the album feels like a spoken word session in an internet VR chatroom. Even with occasionally cryptic lyrics, Gordon clearly tackles topics like the patriarchy in I’m a Man, conquests in Trophies, and what seems like her packing list?
Though personally I’ve found Gordon’s “The Collective” to be the hardest of the three albums to crack, its garnered the most critical praise with several year end-lists applauding her sophomore solo effort. Maybe with more time I’ll engage with it on a deeper level, but in the meantime its exciting to see such a vaunted start continue on her zenith this deep into her career.
Kim Deal – “Nobody Loves You More”
Deal, renowned for her bold work with the Pixies and The Breeders, caught me off guard with her smooth crooning on the title track—a song that would seamlessly fit into an old James Bond film, exuding both sophistication and mystery. While she briefly steps away from the lounge vibe, she returns to retro genres, particularly country and jazz, with “Are You Mine?”—a stunning track that could easily find a home in Dolly Parton’s catalog. The track “Disobedience” offers a reflective take on aging, with lyrics like “I go where I want / While I’m still on the planet,” capturing her yearning for autonomy despite the passage of time.
Though she seamlessly blends retro sounds from decades before her own, Deal doesn’t fully leave behind her roots. “Big Ben Beat” evokes the unmistakable feel of a Breeders’ track, while “A Good Time Pushed” retains that familiar edge. Whether exploring new styles or revisiting familiar ones, Deal makes every sound distinctly her own.
Together, it seems all three, and particularly Deal and Gibbons, are reflecting on their roles as elder stateswomen of rock, but none of them are ready to rest on their laurels. Thank goodness too as their solo music, much as their formative music did, continues to challenge us, inspire us, and always entertain us.
