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“These sounds are the quiet and private side of the girl who joined the big American major label rock band.” Former Hole, Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur announces Bass Womb Room, her first new music in over 15 years
Former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur has announced her first new music release in more than 15 years, an album titled Bass Womb Room: My '90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings. The project blends previously unheard material from her early career with newly written pieces, offering a rare, intimate counterpoint to the polished major-label rock she is best known for from her time in two of alternative rock's most prominent 1990s bands.
The record combines unreleased four-track demos the Canadian musician recorded during the 1990s with eight new "interlude" compositions written for an upcoming exhibition of her photography. Auf der Maur has said the original songs were written amid pressure from the major-label music industry on her and her peers to produce glossy, radio-friendly hits, positioning this release as a more personal, unvarnished counterpart to that era of her career.
In short
- Melissa Auf der Maur announces first new music in 15+ years
- Album mixes unreleased '90s demos with new "interlude" tracks
- New pieces tie in with an upcoming photography exhibition
Explained simply
Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian bassist best known for her work with two hugely influential American rock bands in the 1990s: Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. She has not released new solo music for over 15 years, making this announcement a significant return to recording.
Bass Womb Room combines unreleased four-track demos that Auf der Maur recorded in the 1990s with eight newly written pieces composed for a photography exhibition. The project presents a more intimate, stripped-back sound that contrasts with the polished rock music that defined her work with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins.
The album reflects the tension between artistic vision and commercial demands that shaped popular rock during that era. By pairing raw, private recordings from her early career with new compositions, Auf der Maur offers a personal perspective on her work that stands apart from the mainstream hits she is known for.