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Sonic Youth Follow Artist +

Pioneers in noise rock who continued creating

sophisticated, visceral music long after they became
an alt-rock institution.

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Escucha Sonic Youth

en Apple Music

Active 1980s - 2010s

Formed 1981 in New York, NY

Disbanded 2011

Genre Pop/Rock

Styles Alternative Pop/Rock,

Alternative/Indie Rock,
American Underground,
College Rock,
Experimental Rock, Indie
Rock, Noise-Rock, Post-
Punk

Also Known As Ciccone Youth

Group Thurston Moore, Kim

Members Gordon, Lee Ranaldo,
Steve Shelley, Jim
O'Rourke, Bob Bert, Mark
Ibold, James Sclavunos,
Anne DeMarinis, Richard
Edson

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Sonic You
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Bull In The Heather (Album Versi…

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Sonic Youth

Teen Age Riot

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I Love You Mary Jane [Explicit]

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Album Highlights

EVOL Walls Have Ears

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Biography

Sonic Youth Biography by Heather Phares

As they redefined what

noise meant within rock &
roll -- and what success
meant for a band with
experimental roots -- Sonic
Youth became one of the most influential, and
popular, acts to emerge from the American
underground. Their inventive use of alternate
tunings, dissonance, and feedback, which
they combined with the intensity of hardcore
punk and the performance art aesthetic of
New York's avant-garde, created a new sonic
landscape with an impact that lasted for
decades. While 1983's Confusion Is Sex
reflected the height of no wave's harsh yet
hypnotic influence on their music, Sonic Youth
soon added more structure and melody
without sacrificing any of their edge. Their trio
of independent late-'80s records -- 1986's
EVOL, 1987's Sister, and 1988's Daydream
Nation -- became touchstones for a
generation of indie rockers, thanks to their
volatile mix of experiments and accessibility.
The band's growing popularity led them to
sign to a major label, and with 1990's Goo and
1992's Dirty, Sonic Youth courted mainstream
success (most of their albums from the '90s
onward charted within the Top 100 of the
Billboard 200) while maintaining their
reputation as innovators and tastemakers.
Later in the '90s, creative restlessness led
them to make more challenging major-label
albums like 1995's Washing Machine, and to
release overtly experimental works on their
own SYR imprint. In the decade that followed,
Sonic Youth continued to balance the different
sides of their music in ways that felt true to
their legacy; from 2002's introspective Murray
St. to 2009's hard-hitting swan song The
Eternal, they remained a band who always
forged their own path.

Sonic Youth's future Sonic Youth

acclaim was unthinkable
when guitarists/vocalists
Thurston Moore and Lee
Ranaldo and
bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon formed Sonic
Youth in 1981. Moore grew up in Bethel,
Connecticut; Ranaldo was from Long Island;
and Gordon was an art student and musician
from California. All three arrived in Manhattan
during the height of the New York-based
post-punk no wave movement. After Moore's
band the Coachmen broke up, he began
playing with CKM and met Gordon, who was
also a member of the group. The pair became
romantic and creative partners, and settled on
the name Sonic Youth for their project in mid-
1981. That June, the pair helped stage the
Noise Festival, in which the band made their
live debut. When Moore saw Ranaldo
performing with avant-garde composer Glenn
Branca's electric guitar ensemble, he invited
the guitarist to join Sonic Youth. At the time,
the group also featured keyboardist Anne
DeMarinis and drummer Richard Edson.
DeMarinis departed shortly afterward, and
the quartet soon became the first band on
Branca's Neutral Records label. That
December, Sonic Youth recorded their self-
titled debut EP at a studio in Radio City Music
Hall. Appearing in March 1982, Sonic Youth
featured a more straightforward post-punk
sound than the music they would make in the
near future.

Kill Yr. Idols When Edson left Sonic

Youth to pursue an acting
career, he was replaced by
Bob Bert. However,
creative differences
between Bert and the rest of the band while
on tour with Swans led to his dismissal. It was
Jim Sclavunos who played most of the drums
on Sonic Youth's debut album, Confusion Is
Sex, which arrived in February 1983 and
introduced the abrasive, no wave-inspired
approach that defined most of the group's
early work. A few months later Sclavunos quit,
and Bert rejoined Sonic Youth in time to
record the Kill Yr Idols EP, which the German
label Zensor released that October. Early in
1984, Moore attempted to land the band a
contract with the British indie label
Doublevision, but the label rejected the
demos. Paul Smith, one of the owners of
Doublevision, formed Blast First Records in
order to release the band's music. Thanks to a
deal with U.K. indie label Rough Trade, Sonic
Youth had their first label with strong
distribution. During these negotiations, the
cassette-only live album Sonic Death: Sonic
Youth Live appeared on Moore's label Ecstatic
Peace. That year, Gordon and Moore also
married.

To make their second

album, Sonic Youth worked
with Martin Bisi, and
expanded on improvised
pieces they played in
between songs while in concert. Drawing on
the shadowy side of Americana and reflecting
the state of the nation in the mid-'80s, Bad
Moon Rising appeared in March 1985 via Blast
First in the U.K. and Homestead Records in the
U.S., earning strong reviews from the
underground music press thanks to its
combination of dissonant, feedback-drenched
experiments within relatively straightforward
pop song structures. Following the release of
the Death Valley '69 EP, Bert was replaced by
former Crucifucks member Steve Shelley,
who became the group's permanent drummer.

Master Dik Bad Moon Rising's acclaim

attracted significant
attention, including offers
from major labels. Instead,
Sonic Youth decided to
sign with SST, home of Hüsker Dü and Black
Flag, in early 1986. The band reunited with
Bisi to make that May's EVOL, a more melodic
set of songs that explored themes of celebrity
and also featured collaborations with Lydia
Lunch and Mike Watt. The album made Sonic
Youth a fixture on college radio, and their
status grew significantly with their next album.
Largely written while on tour in support of
EVOL and recorded with Walter Sear at his
studio Sear Sound, Sister was released in
March 1987 and continued the group's
refinement of their music. The album, which
incorporated acoustic guitar and drew
inspiration from the life and writing of sci-fi
author Philip K. Dick, was heavily praised by
mainstream publications like Rolling Stone.
That November, the band issued Master=Dik,
an EP that included samples of Prince's "Kiss"
as well as a cover of the Ramones' "Beat on
the Brat" featuring Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis.

Sonic Youth's true

breakthrough came in 1988
with the double album
Daydream Nation. Instead
of editing down their song
ideas, the group expanded them into free-
flowing suites that better reflected their live
performances. Sonic Youth recorded the
album at New York's Greene Street Studio
with engineer Nick Sansano, whose work with
hip-hop artists including Public Enemy
impressed the band. Released on Enigma
Records, it was a tour de force that was hailed
as a masterpiece when it arrived in October
1988, and generated a college radio hit in
"Teenage Riot." Sonic Youth followed it with
January 1989's The Whitey Album, a tongue-
in-cheek tribute to Madonna and other parts
of mainstream pop culture from their side
project Ciccone Youth.

Ragged Glory Despite Daydream

Nation's wide acclaim,
Enigma's distribution and
financial woes meant the
album wasn't always
available in stores. These factors contributed
heavily to the band's decision to move to the
major label DGC in late 1989. Signing a
contract that gave them complete creative
control, as well as letting them function as
talent seekers for the label, Sonic Youth
established a precedent for alternative bands
moving to majors during the '90s while
preserving their artistic credibility. To make
their major-label debut, the group recorded
demos with Mascis and Gumball's Don
Fleming, then worked with Sansano at
Sorcerer Sound and Greene Street studios on
lengthy, often experimental sessions. To
complete the album, Sonic Youth recruited
jazz musician-turned-producer Ron Saint
Germain, who helped shape the sessions'
numerous overdubs into a finished product
with a focused sound that didn't abandon the
group's noisy aesthetic. The results were June
1990's Goo, which was a college radio hit and
reached 96 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
The band explored their relationship to pop
culture further on songs such as the Chuck D
collaboration "Kool Thing," which hit number
seven on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart. After Goo's release, Neil Young invited
Sonic Youth to open for him on his arena tour
for Ragged Glory, a move that represented
their first major incursion into the mainstream
and also helped make Young a cult figure
within the alternative circles during the '90s.

For their second major- Nevermind

label album, Dirty, Sonic
Youth nodded to Seattle
grunge rockers such as
Mudhoney and Nirvana,
both of whom Sonic Youth had supported for
several years (they released a split single with
Mudhoney and brought Nirvana to DGC
Records). The band worked with Nevermind
mixer Andy Wallace and producer Butch Vig,
who helped them focus their songs into a
more accessible sound. Released in July 1992,
Dirty reached number 83 on the Billboard 200
Albums chart, spawned the modern rock hits
"100%," "Youth Against Fascism," and "Sugar
Kane," and eventually went gold. In the wake
of this success, Sonic Youth were hailed as
alternative rock godfathers.

The band reunited with Vig

for their next album,
recording at Sear Sound,
where they made Sister.
Despite its more overtly
experimental and introspective approach to
songwriting and recording, 1994's
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
nevertheless became one of the group's
highest-charting albums when it debuted at
number 34 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart
(and at number ten on the U.K. charts) that
May. Later in 1994, Moore and Gordon had
their first child, a daughter named Coco Haley.
The following year, Sonic Youth agreed to
headline the Lollapalooza package tour. The
band used the earnings to build their own
studio, Lower Manhattan's Echo Canyon.

Following the tour, the Psychic Hearts

members of Sonic Youth
took time to pursue other
projects. Ranaldo and
Moore both played with
other experimental musicians such as William
Hooker, Christian Marclay, and DJ Spooky,
while Moore also released his debut solo
album, 1995's Psychic Hearts. Shelley played
with Cat Power and Two Dollar Guitar and
founded the label Smells Like Records, and
Gordon performed with Julia Cafritz as Free
Kitten and established the fashion label X-Girl.
When Sonic Youth reunited to make their next
album, their music reflected Gordon's
increased presence as a guitarist and the
group's focus on rangy improvisations.
Recorded at Memphis' Easley Studios and co-
produced by the band and John Siket (who
engineered Dirty and Experimental Jet Set),
Washing Machine appeared in September
1995 and featured some of Sonic Youth's
longest and widest-ranging songs yet,
including the 20-minute "The Diamond Sea."
The album received the band's strongest
reviews since Daydream Nation and peaked at
number 58 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
Also in 1995, the group released their score
for the 1987 film Made in USA for the first
time.

For the next couple of

years, Sonic Youth holed
up in Echo Canyon studio
working on some of their
most experimental music in
some time. Released on their own SYR imprint,
SYR1: Anagrama appeared in May 1997 and
was followed in September by SYR2:
Slaapkamers met slagroom. The following
March saw the release of SYR3: Invito al ĉielo,
the band's first collaboration with multi-
instrumentalist/producer Jim O'Rourke. Sonic
Youth refined some of the ideas on these EPs
for their tenth album, the gently expansive A
Thousand Leaves. Arriving in May 1998, the
album hit number 85 on the Billboard 200
Albums chart. The following July, Sonic
Youth's customized, irreplaceable gear was
stolen while they were on tour in California. As
they regrouped from this loss, they released
SYR4: Goodbye, 20th Century, a set of works
by avant-garde composers performed by the
band and collaborators including Christian
Marclay and Wharton Tiers. For their 11th
album, Sonic Youth compensated for their
missing gear by returning to some of their
oldest instruments and filling in the gaps with
new equipment. Informed by beat poetry and
the band's no wave roots, May 2000's NYC
Ghosts & Flowers featured performances and
production by O'Rourke; it peaked at number
172 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. On that
August's SYR5, DJ Olive and Ikue Mori joined
Gordon on a set of darkly abstract pieces.

By August 2001, Sonic Sonic Nurse

Youth were in the studio
working on their next
album, but sessions came
to a temporary halt
following the September 11 attacks (the
band's studio was only a few blocks from the
World Trade Center). Continuing in the
reflective vein of A Thousand Leaves and
NYC Ghosts & Flowers, June 2002's
acclaimed Murray St. marked the group's first
album with O'Rourke as a full-fledged member
of Sonic Youth and reached number 126 on
the Billboard 200. The five-piece Sonic Youth
returned in June 2004 with Sonic Nurse, a
more energetic and structured set of songs
that hit 64 on the Billboard 200. The following
year, Sonic Youth recovered some of their
stolen gear, while Jim O'Rourke left the group
to pursue other projects; former Pavement
bassist Mark Ibold took over bass duties. Late
in 2005, the band issued SYR6, a recording of
a benefit concert for the Anthology Film
Archives that Sonic Youth had played
alongside percussionist Tim Barnes.

Rather Ripped For their 14th album -- and

final one for Geffen
Records -- the band
returned to Sear Sound to
work with producer John
Agnello. Released in June 2006, Rather
Ripped continued in the more song-oriented
direction of Sonic Nurse and fared relatively
well on the charts, peaking at 71 on the
Billboard 200 and at 64 on the U.K. Albums
Chart. That December, The Destroyed Room:
B-Sides and Rarities featured previously
unissued music. In 2008, the group
resurrected the SYR series: J'Accuse Ted
Hughes arrived that April as a vinyl-only
release featuring a piece from the band's
performance at the first All Tomorrow's Parties
festival in April 2000, while July's Andre Sider
Af Sonic Youth chronicled an improvised
performance at 2005's Roskilde Festival with
Mats Gustafsson and Merzbow. They also
assembled a compilation album for Starbucks,
Hits Are for Squares, featuring the previously
unreleased track "Slow Revolution." Late that
year, Sonic Youth signed with Matador
Records.

While working on their

Matador debut, Sonic
Youth collaborated with
Led Zeppelin's John Paul
Jones on an April 2009
piece celebrating choreographer Merce
Cunningham's 90th birthday. Recorded
quickly at the band's studio, The Eternal
arrived in June 2009 and evoked the days of
Sister and Daydream Nation. The album
peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200,
marking their highest chart position ever; in
Europe, it was awarded a silver certification.
Following the album's release, Sonic Youth's
members concentrated on individual projects
like Shelley's Vampire Blues label. They also
recorded the soundtrack to French director
Fabrice Gobert's film Simon Werner a Disparu,
which was released early in 2011 as SYR9:
Simon Werner a Disparu.

Late in 2011, Moore and

Gordon announced their
impending divorce, and
Sonic Youth's São Paulo
date that November was
their final concert before an indefinite hiatus.
The band's members remained busy: Among
their other projects, Gordon worked with
experimental guitarist Bill Nace as Body/Head,
and with Tomorrows Tulips' Alex Knost as
Glitterbust; she also published her memoir,
Girl in a Band and recorded as a solo artist.
Moore toured and recorded with acts
including Chelsea Light Moving and continued
his solo career. Ranaldo recorded as a solo
artist and with his band the Dust, which
featured Shelley as well as O'Rourke and
guitarist Alan Licht. In addition, Shelley played
with Hallogallo 2010, Disappears, and Sun Kil
Moon. He also ran Sonic Youth's labels SYR
and Goofin', the latter of which released the
2012 live album Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 and
2016's Spinhead Sessions, a set of 1986
rehearsals for the group's Made in USA
soundtrack. Three years later, Matador
Records reissued Live at Battery Park,
originally a limited-edition bonus LP included
with preorders of The Eternal, as Battery
Park, NYC: July 4, 2008. As the 2010s
became the 2020s, the band continued to
release a string of live albums and rarities
collections digitally. In March 2022, Three
Lobed issued In/Out/In, a compilation of rangy
pieces recorded in the 2000s that included a
pair of tracks that appeared on the 2011 box
set Not the Spaces You Know, But Between
Them. Initially released in 2020, Live in
Brooklyn 2011, which documented Sonic
Youth's career-spanning final U.S. date at the
Williamsburg Waterfront, was reissued in a
remastered version in August 2023. The same
year, Moore published his memoir Sonic Life.
In February 2024, Goofin' officially released a
remastered edition of Walls Have Ears, a 1986
bootleg of three of Sonic Youth's 1985 shows
in the U.K. that was long beloved by fans.

Discography

Quiz
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$7 million

$17 million

$37 million
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