This is the way the most beloved indie rock band of the past 30 years ends: not with a banging farewell album but with a Lee Ranaldo interview and a load of reissues and live releases. As Pitchfork reports, Ranaldo confirmed in a conversation with BBC 5 Radio that Sonic Youth are on “longterm hold” in the wake of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon’s devastating split last fall. But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the band — members are currently at work on preparing tour films, live audio, and demos from the mid-’80s, some of which may show up on a deluxe reissue of Sister. Sonic Youth also hope to release some of their film music.
According to Ranaldo, “There’s ways in which the four of us will be tied to each other for so long, just in so many ways. As far as whether there’ll be new recordings or new performances, it’s completely impossible for us to say right now. And I think it’s such a tender thing right now that none of us are even thinking along those lines. I mean, I think after 30 years, unfortunate as it was the way it came about, maybe it’s a good time for an extended break. And if we do come back together, I imagine we’ll be rejuvenated in a bunch of different ways, and maybe looking to explore new avenues at that point.” In the mean time, there’s always Ranaldo and Moore’s solo projects, as well as Gordon’s new noise collaboration with guitarist Bill Nace, Body/Head. Moore’s new band, Chelsea Light Moving, have already put out a few fuzzy tracks that will surely appeal to Sonic Youth fans. You can hear Ranaldo’s full BBC interview, in which he primarily discusses his new album, at Slicing Up Eyeballs.