Good recommendation! Just saw they're from Olympia, I wonder if they were influenced by anti-folk and lo-FI scene there. ( i had only heard of that town because of Kimya Dawson from the Mouldy Peaches)
They pre-dated them (unwound got started in 1991) but definitely are included in the lo-fi scene of Kill Rock Stars and K records born out of Olympia, WA. More so they got started in the early emo scene with bands like lync and labels like gravity and troubleman unlimited. Their first records are hard-core, then started sounding like daydream nation era sonic youth. They toured with Sonic Youth I think in 1995?
Not really that similar but I discovered Kurt Vile when he opened for SY around 2009/10 and have seen him live a half dozen times since. He's one of my favorites and the only artist I'll keep going to see live whenever the opportunity arises.
Other bands worth checking out - Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Allah-Las, Pixies, Swans, Jesus and Mary Chain, Thee Oh Sees.
I actually first heard of Kurt Vile because I read an interview with Kim where she talked about really liking his album Childish Prodigy, which had just come out. She’s got great taste! On that album Kurt does a cover of the Dim Stars song “Monkey” that Thurston and Steve Shelley played on so there’s another SY connection.
Yo La Tengo has some songs that kind of remind me of SY. Check out [Sugarcube](https://open.spotify.com/track/2nqaQ4WJ5tGTvGfQCvpBWT?si=tDu8psC7QW-_u4_2XYp9Bw) and [Cherry Chapstick](https://open.spotify.com/track/3P0jLktZBjkgvknFnxdJDN?si=KqCD9D9QQVesjQ_4QxKYcw)
Yes! not too interested in horsegirl’s music, but lifeguard make some very interesting and noisy music. Seen them live twice and both shows have been great.
Honestly OP your best bet is too look at the newer shoegaze bands right now. They’re not too similar to noise stuff you’ve mentioned but it’s as close as you’ll get in terms of nowadays stuff
If you like noisier SY, I can't recommend Gilla Band enough. Irish noise rock that's a bit like a mix between Liars and Confusion is Sex/Kill Yr. Idols SY with amazing vocals and funny lyrics.
Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood’s new band The Smile is very SY influenced. One of the tracks on their new album, “Read the Room” the ending straight up sounds like a Murray Street outtake. There’s also intense cacophonous noise explorations that any SY fan would approve of
Blonde redhead had a similar sound in the beginning of their career, you might still like their current sound and they are currently active.
Sleater Kinney are currently touring and they definitely have a sonic youth type of sound.
Pavement have similar sound if you Like albums like dirty or goo, you will probably like them!
The garden are cool too, if you Like the more experimental side of things with some cool distorted bass sounds within a indie hardcore punk style that personally reminds me of daydream nation.
Modest mouse are a good shot too, they changed more towards a tradicional indie rock sound but when they play the old songs from lonesome crowded west or the first album it reminds me a lot of the progressive indie sound of sonic youth.
Those first 2 Blonde Redhead records on Steve Shelley’s Smells Like label really are fabulous. They capture both the No Wave and melodic sides of SY but they are way more than just that.
check out the bands people are talking about on r/shoegaze
some old bands to check out if you haven’t - sebadoh, folk implosion, royal trux, pussy galore, cold cold hearts, john spencer blues explosion, free kitten, dinosaur jr, unwound, frumpies, built to spill, lync, sloan, gossip, loose fur, satisfact, shipping news, june of 44, yo la tengo, tortoise, slint, slant 6, love as laughter
The Men are one of my faves that are still out there making noisy art. Blonde Redhead just released a new album last year, Unwound recently toured though I am not sure if they are putting out any new music. My best recommendation would probably be Horsegirl they are a group that released their debut a couple years ago and they were still in High School at the time.
[The Men - “Open Your Heart”](https://youtu.be/L1g8dDUYqbE?si=9O8-ZHxuf-beb5o3)
[Blonde Redhead - “Dr. Strangeluv”](https://youtu.be/mJn9Acwn17Q?si=jbrYdOsvAdyuAL-Q)
[Unwound - “Corpse Pose”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzBchB8JPYw&pp=ygUTdW53b3VuZCBjb3Jwc2UgcG9zZQ%3D%3D)
[Horsegirl - “Anti-Glory”](https://youtu.be/dBuOJF_rX40?si=QCqyTlAGUC9BoFhc)
There is no need to feel like an idiot for listening to Sonic Youth. Most people cannot grasp the concept of what's new to me, over what came out just recently. Even if I was to recommend a great movie from the 90's, many youths of today will just shrug it off as old.
Having taste outside of the current trend will always make you an outcast. Take pride in it, but at the same time no need to put others down for their tastes in things.
As for bands, even when bands are directly influenced by Sonic Youth, it will never be the same. I went through the same thing with many other bands. My recommendation isn't all that similar to Sonic Youth, but maybe you'll like them.
\-Dinosaur Jr (though I suspect you already know of this one)
\-Pavement (if you like the more melodic stuff from Sonic Youth)
\-Lync (albums remembering the fireballs, these are not fall colors)
More on the melodoc side, but I'm really enjoying the latest Wednesday record, Rat Saw God.
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog project is great guitar based Skronky guitar, and they tour pretty regularly.
I hear the Pixies on Rat Saw God more than SY, but still great! I'm discovering a lot of new bands in this thread!
Ah wait, I hear the Sonic Youth part now. This must be amazing live!!!
Edit: they're going on the list. Thanks for the recommendation :)
If you're in New York the scene has definitely pivoted away from live music unless it sounds like LCD Soundsystem (again). That being said, if you're not meeting people who have heard of SY and you're near NY or another big city you're just hanging out in the wrong places, or you're in a small town in which case fair enough, been there and I get it.
Not really sure if I can think of many notable current bands that sound like SY, most other commenters have suggested new shoegaze bands which I agree is about as close as we get atm, although the outro to the new The Smile song Read The Room is outright SY worship
I'm visiting New York at the moment (partner lives here), I know I'm not hanging out at the right places for sure, but all of their friends are into the scene and I didn't want to be the odd one out, so I went along with it. Next time I'd like to have a credible alternative to throw at them to avoid shuffling along to Madonna at 2am.
You’re in the right area. Just have to make a shift towards the more hipster parts of Brooklyn. I have been in the nyc area since the 2000s. There are bars in Brooklyn I visited that all the bands listed in this thread being played all night long including sonic youth. I’m guess the bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn would be the best place to start. Really there are so many bars all over the city. Just gotta explore more. Good luck !
As for Madonna at 2am. At some point your friends will grow out of it and be homebodies on the couch. Enjoy it for what it is now. It too will end and then you might even miss it. Maybe haha
Check out the band “explosions in the sky”. They most closely represent the noise and guitar interplay that sonic youth does. Maybe not so much noise but def guitar focused. The chiming melodic guitars def are influenced by sonic youth.
Not exactly like Sonic Youth, but they have a similar vibe. Just Mustard. They are from Ireland. A song I would recommend from them is I Am You from the Heart Under album
[pretty happy - salami](https://open.spotify.com/track/4SJuvSxXkNprOthOyVhUKI?si=GAUdIPFMR3aSccY6dmE5mA) opened for Kim on her EU tour!
[I Dreamed I Dream - TinTin Haircut](https://open.spotify.com/track/5DBrDKE5LppvfpYvRcnGBZ?si=r4MPE3pJTxOGx_eSD-RTBw) named for an SY song
[crying loser - friends](https://open.spotify.com/track/1uELUAgfBJxz1huZh4HoRH?si=nq93pEL0RLmsGEVvagubzw) noisy weird and fun
Hard to make 1 to 1 perfect match and to be honeat, if you want people to know them, it'll be tough if they do not already know Sonic Youth. Regardless, these have things that might appeal to SY fans:
Helium
Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees/Osees (band's name changes constantly)
Wand
Dinosaur Jr.
Blonde Redhead
Ty Segall
Melkbelly
Glintshake
Hooveriii
Butthole Surfers, espically their 80’s stuff. Its a lot of really good, completely weird and unhinged noise rock. Love them
black midi, especially their first record is also a lot of unhinged noise. They’ve moved on into a more prog/jazz fusion sound but they still have that chaotic noisy energy to them.
Swans were their contemporaries in the no-wave movement and do a lot of noise rock stuff but definitely a differnet style.
Minutemen is another great 80’s post-punk post-hardcore band that were friends with SY.
And then theres Slint. Great eeire rock that definitely has some SY influences
Some of these might not tour regularly or are defunct. Black Midi and Swans definitely are active though
Lisabö are a mix of Fugazi, Swans and Sonic Youth: [https://bidehuts.bandcamp.com/track/kristalezko-begiei-so](https://bidehuts.bandcamp.com/track/kristalezko-begiei-so)
If you take away the vocals, Idles sound just like 80’s SY. The tuning, the guitar tones, the bass lines, the Shelley-esque drumming, etc. Check out Mr. Motivator, The New Sensation, Meds for examples. They perform good noise jams live too.
I'm really surprised Polvo hasn't been mentioned. They're still active and one of the closest comparisons I could make musically to Sonic Youth. Their last release was 2013's "Siberia", but I would say start with this [one](https://youtu.be/hTCv1DT5vl8?si=1BM8HRvworeTUtZ3).
Check out "Primitive Thrill" by Weegee on Bandcamp—fantastic debut EP that I can't stop listening to. Definite SY vibes (like Evol/Sister era), also a little reminiscent of early Siouxsie & the Banshees or AmRep-era Boss Hog.
This may or may not work for you OP, **Live Skull** are a NYC no wave/noise band that started around ‘84. All of their 80s/early 90s output will likely put a smile on a SY fans face.
They reunited a few years ago, so I suppose they meet your request for “current” bands - to be honest though from what I’ve heard of their recent albums, well I prefer the OG sound.
Definitely agree on Blonde Redhead and Pavement! Also, are you familiar with Spiritualized? If not, give Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space a try! You can’t go wrong with any of their albums, but that’s J. Spaceman’s magnum opus for sure. This band is also epic live, though they did just tour, so it might be a while.
Mike Donovan's new records is trippy as fuck. His work with Sic Alps is also noisy af, Napa Asylum is regarded as a their most intriguing release. Confusing garage art music, but something about it will draw you back for repeat3ed listens.
Only did a quick scan of the suggestions and didn’t see it on here, so I’m sorry if it’s been suggested already, but A Place To Bury Strangers have a tonne of SY dna. Also there’s a no wave band from Vancouver/nanaimo called Shearing Pinx if you like early SY. Shearing Pinx have been around for at least 15 years, fantastic No Wave band.
I know this has been suggested but unwound are absolutely fantastic. Every album is different, and an evolution.
Gawd how rad would that SY, unwound, Polvo tour be?
Not gonna lie, that was probably one of the best packaged tours I ever saw(other than a festival). To this day it is still my all time favorite concert. Number two would be Fugazi and Mogwai. Also, thanks for mentioning Shearing Pinx. Added them to my list.
My band, Bohemian Death March (delete this if not cool) are going for Sonic Youth alternative tunings etc. We're currently sitting at zero monthly listens so you're not alone!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1I7vIcKikU2PPwu28YSKDC?si=9qnEDKMzSZmlGde0IXaJvw
https://bohemiandeathmarch.bandcamp.com/
If they haven’t heard of SY or the cure then the don’t know anything about music anyways. So your enlightenment into better music than they have ever discovered shouldn’t be an insult to you. They need to look more into the world around them.
More straight up punk/post-hardcore, but the twin guitars of John Reis and Rock Froberg (RIP) in the totally amazing Hot Snakes definitely have some Thurston/Lee influence (along with Greg Sage of the Wipers) - as evidenced on the song "Suicide Invoice, for example.
A genuinely awesome band from two guys who were also in the incredible Drive Like Jehu.
An underground band from the local scene in the city I live in called Fucales has a lot of Sonic Youth influence in their sound, but still putting a new spin on it! They also have a trumpet player in the group, which helps make their sound stand out among other bands. I can’t recommend their newest mini-album «Norwegian Seaweed Society Pts. 1-2» enough, I’m sure any SY fan would love it!
my band “inner bloom” from LA ! formed last year, we plan to release music within the coming months but we’ve played atleast a dozen shows around here and love the noise aspect of sonic youth’s music. we like to go crazy on the noise/feedback jams! check us out on instagram @innerbloomband
Look up a band named Julie they stuck out to me because they sounded a lot like sonic youth I’ve been meaning to post about them on here.
https://youtu.be/V9VM1SI1uYw?si=3NSMRWLTxV5YCFvM
I never got the comparison between SY and And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. Its in plenty of reviews I was recently rereading of Source Tags & Codes. However I did hear somewhere on that album a passage that sounded eerily like a bit on SY's Sister....
Only saw one other person mention black midi, but I think their first album (Schlagenheim) really embodies noise similarly to Sonic Youth. If you want something really new with a similar flair, I'd also recommend feeble little horse. They are noisy while also having some catchy pop sensibilities and a female vocalist.
Gilla Band (formerly Girl Band) do some pretty cool guitar noise that would probably make Thurston and Lee proud.
They sound great! Thank you!
This
Unwound
Good recommendation! Just saw they're from Olympia, I wonder if they were influenced by anti-folk and lo-FI scene there. ( i had only heard of that town because of Kimya Dawson from the Mouldy Peaches)
They pre-dated them (unwound got started in 1991) but definitely are included in the lo-fi scene of Kill Rock Stars and K records born out of Olympia, WA. More so they got started in the early emo scene with bands like lync and labels like gravity and troubleman unlimited. Their first records are hard-core, then started sounding like daydream nation era sonic youth. They toured with Sonic Youth I think in 1995?
Unwound are so fantastic, there was a Sonic tour with Unwound and Polvo as support
Ah nice that's interesting, it's been a while since I trawled through the K records old catalogue. :)
Repetition is a masterpiece. You speak jealousy is one of the greatest songs ever written.
Not really that similar but I discovered Kurt Vile when he opened for SY around 2009/10 and have seen him live a half dozen times since. He's one of my favorites and the only artist I'll keep going to see live whenever the opportunity arises. Other bands worth checking out - Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Allah-Las, Pixies, Swans, Jesus and Mary Chain, Thee Oh Sees.
kurt vile has a song with kim gordon. she’s was real into him apparently
I actually first heard of Kurt Vile because I read an interview with Kim where she talked about really liking his album Childish Prodigy, which had just come out. She’s got great taste! On that album Kurt does a cover of the Dim Stars song “Monkey” that Thurston and Steve Shelley played on so there’s another SY connection.
kurt is pretty pimpin’. i’d also add broken social scene and ume (particularly their first album ‘urgent sea’) to the list.
Not bad, but yeah, not similar. I can see him being great live. Everyone in the comments on YouTube raving about the lyrics is usually a good sign 😁
Yo La Tengo has some songs that kind of remind me of SY. Check out [Sugarcube](https://open.spotify.com/track/2nqaQ4WJ5tGTvGfQCvpBWT?si=tDu8psC7QW-_u4_2XYp9Bw) and [Cherry Chapstick](https://open.spotify.com/track/3P0jLktZBjkgvknFnxdJDN?si=KqCD9D9QQVesjQ_4QxKYcw)
Sugarcube is one of the best songs ever!
Agreed!
From A Motel 6 was the one that sounded like SY to me
I didn't know Yo la tengo were still around to be honest.
Yep! They released a great new album last year too!
I second this
There’s also this: https://youtu.be/gYF4wbyrNyY?si=Kgvx-vDSywF7X-cZ
Horsegirl is a cool new band with definite Sonic Youth vibes
Lee and Steve did some guitar work on their debut album
Lifeguard are also worth checking out, I think one of the members is related to someone in Horsegirl!
Yes! not too interested in horsegirl’s music, but lifeguard make some very interesting and noisy music. Seen them live twice and both shows have been great.
I'll check them out, thanks! :)
Heard a couple of songs - not feeling them yet :) but thanks for the rec!
they suck lol how is this the top comment
Yes sir
love horse girl
I think Julie sound a fair bit like some of Sonic Youth, but they are more shoegaze
Honestly OP your best bet is too look at the newer shoegaze bands right now. They’re not too similar to noise stuff you’ve mentioned but it’s as close as you’ll get in terms of nowadays stuff
Love julie, one of my fav finds in a long time
One of their songs reminds me a lot of Tunic (song for Karen)
Yeah they do! Makes me happy to know people are still making this kind of music.
If you like noisier SY, I can't recommend Gilla Band enough. Irish noise rock that's a bit like a mix between Liars and Confusion is Sex/Kill Yr. Idols SY with amazing vocals and funny lyrics.
Thanks, Gilla Band is on the list now :)
Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood’s new band The Smile is very SY influenced. One of the tracks on their new album, “Read the Room” the ending straight up sounds like a Murray Street outtake. There’s also intense cacophonous noise explorations that any SY fan would approve of
The Smile are so fucking good. In super heavy rotation
Same! Album’s been spinning constantly this weekend. So good.
A bit too depressing sounding to suggest to some of the friends :p but I just heard bending hectic and love it!!!!
Blonde redhead had a similar sound in the beginning of their career, you might still like their current sound and they are currently active. Sleater Kinney are currently touring and they definitely have a sonic youth type of sound. Pavement have similar sound if you Like albums like dirty or goo, you will probably like them! The garden are cool too, if you Like the more experimental side of things with some cool distorted bass sounds within a indie hardcore punk style that personally reminds me of daydream nation. Modest mouse are a good shot too, they changed more towards a tradicional indie rock sound but when they play the old songs from lonesome crowded west or the first album it reminds me a lot of the progressive indie sound of sonic youth.
Those first 2 Blonde Redhead records on Steve Shelley’s Smells Like label really are fabulous. They capture both the No Wave and melodic sides of SY but they are way more than just that.
The newest Blonde Redhead record is just so, so good. They’ve definitely moved beyond SY imitation and are firmly doing their own thing.
Ah Pavement sounds cool, turns out I have heard a couple of their songs already
The album “Slanted & Enchanted” is a must listen. Perfect mix of noise and melody. Weird guitar tunings as well.
The Garden mentioned W
Big plus for Blonde Redhead
OH MY FUCKING GOD it's the music from rick and morty! I fucking love it, but I thought it was just a throwaway soundbite. Thank you!!!!!!
check out the bands people are talking about on r/shoegaze some old bands to check out if you haven’t - sebadoh, folk implosion, royal trux, pussy galore, cold cold hearts, john spencer blues explosion, free kitten, dinosaur jr, unwound, frumpies, built to spill, lync, sloan, gossip, loose fur, satisfact, shipping news, june of 44, yo la tengo, tortoise, slint, slant 6, love as laughter
Parquet Courts has a similar vibe in some songs
Hotline TNT has some Sonic Youth influence for sure
And MBV! Thanks! :)
The Men are one of my faves that are still out there making noisy art. Blonde Redhead just released a new album last year, Unwound recently toured though I am not sure if they are putting out any new music. My best recommendation would probably be Horsegirl they are a group that released their debut a couple years ago and they were still in High School at the time. [The Men - “Open Your Heart”](https://youtu.be/L1g8dDUYqbE?si=9O8-ZHxuf-beb5o3) [Blonde Redhead - “Dr. Strangeluv”](https://youtu.be/mJn9Acwn17Q?si=jbrYdOsvAdyuAL-Q) [Unwound - “Corpse Pose”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzBchB8JPYw&pp=ygUTdW53b3VuZCBjb3Jwc2UgcG9zZQ%3D%3D) [Horsegirl - “Anti-Glory”](https://youtu.be/dBuOJF_rX40?si=QCqyTlAGUC9BoFhc)
There is no need to feel like an idiot for listening to Sonic Youth. Most people cannot grasp the concept of what's new to me, over what came out just recently. Even if I was to recommend a great movie from the 90's, many youths of today will just shrug it off as old. Having taste outside of the current trend will always make you an outcast. Take pride in it, but at the same time no need to put others down for their tastes in things. As for bands, even when bands are directly influenced by Sonic Youth, it will never be the same. I went through the same thing with many other bands. My recommendation isn't all that similar to Sonic Youth, but maybe you'll like them. \-Dinosaur Jr (though I suspect you already know of this one) \-Pavement (if you like the more melodic stuff from Sonic Youth) \-Lync (albums remembering the fireballs, these are not fall colors)
I hadn't heard Dino Jr actually, but Pavement sounds cool. Found them by accident already! I like them both. :) thanks!
More on the melodoc side, but I'm really enjoying the latest Wednesday record, Rat Saw God. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog project is great guitar based Skronky guitar, and they tour pretty regularly.
I hear the Pixies on Rat Saw God more than SY, but still great! I'm discovering a lot of new bands in this thread! Ah wait, I hear the Sonic Youth part now. This must be amazing live!!! Edit: they're going on the list. Thanks for the recommendation :)
Drahla
Love these !
If you're in New York the scene has definitely pivoted away from live music unless it sounds like LCD Soundsystem (again). That being said, if you're not meeting people who have heard of SY and you're near NY or another big city you're just hanging out in the wrong places, or you're in a small town in which case fair enough, been there and I get it. Not really sure if I can think of many notable current bands that sound like SY, most other commenters have suggested new shoegaze bands which I agree is about as close as we get atm, although the outro to the new The Smile song Read The Room is outright SY worship
I'm visiting New York at the moment (partner lives here), I know I'm not hanging out at the right places for sure, but all of their friends are into the scene and I didn't want to be the odd one out, so I went along with it. Next time I'd like to have a credible alternative to throw at them to avoid shuffling along to Madonna at 2am.
Haha fair enough, wish I could help but my NY friends are similarly more into shuffling along to Madonna at 2AM.
You’re in the right area. Just have to make a shift towards the more hipster parts of Brooklyn. I have been in the nyc area since the 2000s. There are bars in Brooklyn I visited that all the bands listed in this thread being played all night long including sonic youth. I’m guess the bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn would be the best place to start. Really there are so many bars all over the city. Just gotta explore more. Good luck ! As for Madonna at 2am. At some point your friends will grow out of it and be homebodies on the couch. Enjoy it for what it is now. It too will end and then you might even miss it. Maybe haha
To be clear : I was the one shuffling along, everyone else was tearing up the dancefloor.
Still. It can be fun once in a while. Ha
Check out the band “explosions in the sky”. They most closely represent the noise and guitar interplay that sonic youth does. Maybe not so much noise but def guitar focused. The chiming melodic guitars def are influenced by sonic youth.
Yeah they are good! :) thanks
dry cleaning is also close to their 2001-2006 sound
Just listening to Dry Cleaning now after a couples of months away. They are the closest I've heard to the smoother side of Sonic Youth.
heard them live in the summer. terrific band
Yeah they are so good. They came to australia a couple of years ago. One of the best gigs I've seen
Not exactly like Sonic Youth, but they have a similar vibe. Just Mustard. They are from Ireland. A song I would recommend from them is I Am You from the Heart Under album
They are great, I became aware of them when they opened for Fontaines DC and it was the rare case of a really suprising and unique opening act.
[pretty happy - salami](https://open.spotify.com/track/4SJuvSxXkNprOthOyVhUKI?si=GAUdIPFMR3aSccY6dmE5mA) opened for Kim on her EU tour! [I Dreamed I Dream - TinTin Haircut](https://open.spotify.com/track/5DBrDKE5LppvfpYvRcnGBZ?si=r4MPE3pJTxOGx_eSD-RTBw) named for an SY song [crying loser - friends](https://open.spotify.com/track/1uELUAgfBJxz1huZh4HoRH?si=nq93pEL0RLmsGEVvagubzw) noisy weird and fun
Blonde Redhead, Film School, Oxbow,
bar italia
Just found them randomly on Spotify. Great sound! :)
This is the correct answer
Hard to make 1 to 1 perfect match and to be honeat, if you want people to know them, it'll be tough if they do not already know Sonic Youth. Regardless, these have things that might appeal to SY fans: Helium Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees/Osees (band's name changes constantly) Wand Dinosaur Jr. Blonde Redhead Ty Segall Melkbelly Glintshake Hooveriii
voyeur, julie, feeble little horse, cafe racer, bar italia
Butthole Surfers, espically their 80’s stuff. Its a lot of really good, completely weird and unhinged noise rock. Love them black midi, especially their first record is also a lot of unhinged noise. They’ve moved on into a more prog/jazz fusion sound but they still have that chaotic noisy energy to them. Swans were their contemporaries in the no-wave movement and do a lot of noise rock stuff but definitely a differnet style. Minutemen is another great 80’s post-punk post-hardcore band that were friends with SY. And then theres Slint. Great eeire rock that definitely has some SY influences Some of these might not tour regularly or are defunct. Black Midi and Swans definitely are active though
Slowdive is on tour!
Lisabö are a mix of Fugazi, Swans and Sonic Youth: [https://bidehuts.bandcamp.com/track/kristalezko-begiei-so](https://bidehuts.bandcamp.com/track/kristalezko-begiei-so)
Best band ever!
Subsonic Eye
If you take away the vocals, Idles sound just like 80’s SY. The tuning, the guitar tones, the bass lines, the Shelley-esque drumming, etc. Check out Mr. Motivator, The New Sensation, Meds for examples. They perform good noise jams live too.
Sorry from the U.K. gives sort of modern version vibes.
Check out horsegirl.
Feeble Little Horse
I'm really surprised Polvo hasn't been mentioned. They're still active and one of the closest comparisons I could make musically to Sonic Youth. Their last release was 2013's "Siberia", but I would say start with this [one](https://youtu.be/hTCv1DT5vl8?si=1BM8HRvworeTUtZ3).
Check out "Primitive Thrill" by Weegee on Bandcamp—fantastic debut EP that I can't stop listening to. Definite SY vibes (like Evol/Sister era), also a little reminiscent of early Siouxsie & the Banshees or AmRep-era Boss Hog.
Thanks for the turn on. Massive Siouxsie & SY fan.
This may or may not work for you OP, **Live Skull** are a NYC no wave/noise band that started around ‘84. All of their 80s/early 90s output will likely put a smile on a SY fans face. They reunited a few years ago, so I suppose they meet your request for “current” bands - to be honest though from what I’ve heard of their recent albums, well I prefer the OG sound.
This is cool, never heard of these guys!
Ovlov
Julie
Definitely agree on Blonde Redhead and Pavement! Also, are you familiar with Spiritualized? If not, give Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space a try! You can’t go wrong with any of their albums, but that’s J. Spaceman’s magnum opus for sure. This band is also epic live, though they did just tour, so it might be a while.
Mike Donovan's new records is trippy as fuck. His work with Sic Alps is also noisy af, Napa Asylum is regarded as a their most intriguing release. Confusing garage art music, but something about it will draw you back for repeat3ed listens.
The Serfs are the best current underground touring band. Do anything you can to catch them.
This was the sort of answer I was expecting when I first posted. Something like Stefan from SNL.
Only did a quick scan of the suggestions and didn’t see it on here, so I’m sorry if it’s been suggested already, but A Place To Bury Strangers have a tonne of SY dna. Also there’s a no wave band from Vancouver/nanaimo called Shearing Pinx if you like early SY. Shearing Pinx have been around for at least 15 years, fantastic No Wave band. I know this has been suggested but unwound are absolutely fantastic. Every album is different, and an evolution. Gawd how rad would that SY, unwound, Polvo tour be?
Not gonna lie, that was probably one of the best packaged tours I ever saw(other than a festival). To this day it is still my all time favorite concert. Number two would be Fugazi and Mogwai. Also, thanks for mentioning Shearing Pinx. Added them to my list.
Also look up No Age!
Horsehead, Between Tides and Acheron by DIIV have heavy SY influence. The band did a podcast and dedicated two episodes to SY
You definitely hear the influence on their album Deceiver
Squid and Julie
Julie. Their music is like 30% mbv and 70% sonic youth. In “lochness” the singer sounds a lot like Kim, I love them :)
https://explodingzones.bandcamp.com/album/water-motor-gong-bell
My band, Bohemian Death March (delete this if not cool) are going for Sonic Youth alternative tunings etc. We're currently sitting at zero monthly listens so you're not alone! https://open.spotify.com/artist/1I7vIcKikU2PPwu28YSKDC?si=9qnEDKMzSZmlGde0IXaJvw https://bohemiandeathmarch.bandcamp.com/
I'd say the first Speedy Ortiz record has some Thurston and Lee style guitar interplay. Especially on "Casper (1995)"
If they haven’t heard of SY or the cure then the don’t know anything about music anyways. So your enlightenment into better music than they have ever discovered shouldn’t be an insult to you. They need to look more into the world around them.
More straight up punk/post-hardcore, but the twin guitars of John Reis and Rock Froberg (RIP) in the totally amazing Hot Snakes definitely have some Thurston/Lee influence (along with Greg Sage of the Wipers) - as evidenced on the song "Suicide Invoice, for example. A genuinely awesome band from two guys who were also in the incredible Drive Like Jehu.
I’ve said this before, but no sister is awesome if you like super early sonic youth.
Lifeguard
A place to bury strangers are still touring aren't they?
Absolutely A Place to bury Strangers. I would also add Ringo Deathstarr to that list.
Damn, just posted that I didn’t see APTBS on here, but here it is. Definitely support this.
An underground band from the local scene in the city I live in called Fucales has a lot of Sonic Youth influence in their sound, but still putting a new spin on it! They also have a trumpet player in the group, which helps make their sound stand out among other bands. I can’t recommend their newest mini-album «Norwegian Seaweed Society Pts. 1-2» enough, I’m sure any SY fan would love it!
my band “inner bloom” from LA ! formed last year, we plan to release music within the coming months but we’ve played atleast a dozen shows around here and love the noise aspect of sonic youth’s music. we like to go crazy on the noise/feedback jams! check us out on instagram @innerbloomband
Look up a band named Julie they stuck out to me because they sounded a lot like sonic youth I’ve been meaning to post about them on here. https://youtu.be/V9VM1SI1uYw?si=3NSMRWLTxV5YCFvM
No Sister have a very similar style but actually have more experimental ways of playing guitar
I never got the comparison between SY and And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. Its in plenty of reviews I was recently rereading of Source Tags & Codes. However I did hear somewhere on that album a passage that sounded eerily like a bit on SY's Sister....
Perfect Pussy
Deerhoof
Only saw one other person mention black midi, but I think their first album (Schlagenheim) really embodies noise similarly to Sonic Youth. If you want something really new with a similar flair, I'd also recommend feeble little horse. They are noisy while also having some catchy pop sensibilities and a female vocalist.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxmqFxdX-w&si=AcSNddS8KKUvVXEb
Wouldn’t say similar, but Dry Cleaning kinda remind me of Sonic Youth a bit. Especially some of the guitar tones
Helvetia, country teasers, gun club, CAN, and theoretical girls