Melissa Auf der Maur, who has provided both her musical talents to iconic groups Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, is releasing her first new music in 16 years. The Montreal-born musician and artist announced BASS WOMB ROOM: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings, which is out September 4 via Envision Records.
The new project includes seven unheard 4-track tape recorder demos that she wrote in the ’90s, as well as eight new “interludes” that she made for her forthcoming Melissa Auf der Maur: My ’90s Rock Photographs, opening Sep. 2 at the Art Gallery of Ontario. She’s also publishing a 240-page photobook of the same name. That will be available Sep. 8 via DelMonico Books/D.A.P. and the AGO.
Both musical and visual projects offer us a vulnerable peak into the creative mind of der Maur. BASS WOMB ROOM is a collection of makeshift recordings that she made with a Tascam 4-track, an acoustic guitar, and her stream of conscious or diary-born lyrics.
“I wrote these songs in the context of rising pressure from the major label-driven music industry on myself and my peers to make glossy hit songs to dominate radio airwaves,” Auf der Maur said in the press release. “These songs are the sound of my internal experimentation and a way of keeping the Montreal art girl alive inside. These sounds are the quiet and private side of the girl who joined the big American major label rock band.” She has shared a preview of the closing track “Skip A Beat.”
That’s not the only thing making a comeback from der Maur’s past. It also looks that Hole are teasing news of something coming this Friday. Commenters are begging for a tour reunion or a re-release of their 1997 compilation album My Body, The Hand Grenade. We will have to wait and see.
Below, check out the BASS WOMB ROOM tracklist and the preview of “Skip A Beat.”
TRACKLIST:
01 “Active Heart”
02 “… And The Next Day”
03 “Courtney Chimes In”
04 “Desire is Critical”
05 “In The Reflection”
06 “Water Wars”
07 “Flesh Flush”
08 “Is She His”
09 “Billy Seoul Crowd”
10 “Love Is The Drug”
11 “Sparkle Bass”
12 “Fancy Piece (Featuring The Hunger World)”
13 “River’s Dream”
14 “Sea Of Tranquility”
15 “Skip A Beat”
BASS WOMB ROOM: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings is out 9/4 via Envision Records. Pre-order here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stereogum.com ’
