Sonic Youth were a New York-based experimental rock outfit founded in 1981. Initially composed of only Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and a revolving-door lineup of drummers, the band added Lee Ranaldo after watching him perform with experimental guitar composer Glenn Branca at the influential New York no-wave festival, Noise Fest. After a couple years and several false starts, the band finally settled on Steve Shelley (formerly of The Crucifucks) as their drummer.

From roots in no-wave and noise, Sonic Youth crafted a dissonant and thunderous sound composed of sophisticated scale systems and offbeat guitar tunings. The period between 1985’s Bad Moon Rising and 1988’s Daydream Nation is often thought of as their creative pinnacle, with the latter album acting as their seminal masterpiece.

In 1990, Sonic Youth ruffled the feathers of the nascent indie rock community by signing with major label subsidiary Geffen Records. This move ushered in a second period of relevance for the band, highlighted by heightened exposure and brief flirtations with fame. Albums like Goo, Dirty and Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star entered with Billboard Hot 100. Despite a more radio-friendly bent, the music from this period is also critically adored, with songs like “The Diamond Sea” and “100%” frequently making “Best Of” lists from the period.

The turn of the century saw a mild downturn for the band, culminating with the almost entirely noise-driven NYC Ghosts and Flowers. The release failed commercially and was panned critically, with Pitchfork famously awarding it a zero out of ten. The band made a brief return to form with albums like Rather Ripped and Sonic Nurse, which received positive reviews but never reached the commercial or iconic heights of their earlier work.

In 2011 Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore split after 27 years of marriage, effectively ending the output of Sonic Youth. While the band has never formally broken up, several members have stated in interviews that the band is finished.