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Veruca Salt reshaped the jagged, abrasive punk-pop of
the Pixies and
Breeders into a more accessible, riff-driven power pop formula that also borrowed from pop/hard rockers like
Cheap Trick. It was a successful formula, both musically and commercially, yet it didn't ensure them indie rock credibility; in fact, they became one of the most harshly criticized bands of the post-
Nirvana alternative rock era, despite being one of the first female-fronted outfits to achieve stardom in that genre.
Veruca Salt took shape in early 1992, when Chicago residents
Louise Post and
Nina Gordon began touring the local folk circuit. Both were competent singers and guitarists, and a year's worth of coffeehouse performances fueled their desire to recruit additional members for a full-fledged band. After adding bassist
Steve Lack and drummer
Jim Shapiro (
Gordon's brother),
Veruca Salt released their debut single, "Seether"/"All Hail Me," in 1994 on the local independent label Minty Fresh Records. Produced by
Brad Wood (
Liz Phair), the record became a word-of-mouth sensation, working its way to alternative and college radio stations. While supporting
Hole on their fall tour,
Veruca Salt released the debut album
American Thighs on the Minty Fresh label, yet they soon cut a major-label deal with Geffen, which then re-released the album. "Seether" became an MTV hit as well, and soon the single was an across-the-board success. However, the group received scathing criticism from magazines and fanzines, claiming that
Veruca Salt were nothing but ripoff artists who used Minty Fresh as a way to gain credibility. Nevertheless, the group's popularity didn't suffer, and
American Thighs went gold, even though their next two singles -- "Number One Blind" and "All Hail Me" -- didn't attract half the attention that "Seether" commanded.
After releasing the stopgap,
Steve Albini-produced EP Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt in 1996, the band returned in early 1997 with
Eight Arms to Hold You, which moved toward hard rock and heavy metal. Although critical reaction was even more mixed, the album still reached gold sales status, propelled in part by the Top Ten rock single "Volcano Girls." Shortly after the album was completed,
Shapiro left the lineup and was replaced by former
Letters to Cleo drummer
Stacy Jones. Meanwhile, in the wake of rumors that
Gordon and
Post had been feuding and/or considering solo projects, it was confirmed that
Gordon had quit the band in early 1998 to pursue a separate solo career.
Undeterred,
Post regrouped
Veruca Salt as her own project. Now boasting a revised lineup including guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick, bassist Suzanne Sokol, and drummer Jimmy Madla, the band left Geffen Records (which had been swallowed by a corporate merger) and inked a new record deal with
Beyond. They also entered the studio to record Resolver, a fiery album that dealt with
Gordon's departure and
Post's failed relationship with
Dave Grohl. Released during the spring of 2000, Resolver didn't enjoy the same success as
Veruca Salt's previous albums, although the band continued to tour as
Post wrote new material. The Officially Dead EP was released in 2003 and charted well in Australia, where the band began to focus some of its touring efforts. With an ever-changing lineup (now featuring
Post, Fitzpatrick, drummer
Kelli Scott, and bassist Nicole Fiorentino),
Veruca Salt then recorded another five-song EP, 2005's Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things. An additional full-length album, IV, was issued the following year. Following a lackluster public response to the album, the band went on a lengthy hiatus. As unexpectedly as they'd parted ways,
Gordon and
Post announced in 2013 that they had "buried the hatchet" and were reuniting the band's original lineup. They jokingly referred to the era following
Gordon's departure as "Veruca Starship" and readied new material, the first taste of which was 2014's Record Store Day EP MMXIV. The full-length
Ghost Notes followed in July 2015. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine