Melissa Auf Der Maur returns to recording after a decade and a half of silence. The Montreal bassist and vocalist, who anchored both Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins during the 1990s alternative rock ascendancy, announces her first new material since 2008. The project, titled "BASS WOMB ROOM: My '90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings," arrives September 4 via Envision Records.
The release resurrects archival material from Auf Der Maur's early recording sessions, pairing vintage four-track demos with newly added field recordings. This archaeological approach to songwriting lets her revisit her formative years as a musician without requiring a full contemporary album. After leaving Hole in 1998, she maintained a lower profile than her former bandmates, though she continued occasional performances and guest appearances.
The announcement arrives alongside teasers from Hole itself, the band fronted by Courtney Love, hinting at fresh material dropping Friday. The timing suggests renewed momentum in the underground rock ecosystem that dominated the '90s, with both principals circling back to their back catalogs and archival projects. Love's Hole disbanded in 2002 before reuniting in 2010, releasing the album "Nobody's Daughter," and has engaged in sporadic activity since.
Auf Der Maur's career trajectory differs markedly from Love's tabloid-adjacent prominence. She pivoted toward fine art, philosophy, and environmental activism while maintaining her musician identity quietly. This release signals a deliberate re-engagement with her sonic archive rather than a full-scale comeback album. The "4-Track Demos" framing acknowledges the lo-fi DIY ethos that defined her era, suggesting she values authenticity over production sheen.
For fans of 1990s alternative rock, the announcement carries genuine weight. Auf Der Maur's bass work provided instrumental anchor to some of the decade's most consequential bands. Her decision to excavate and share these early recordings offers unexpected access to a musician who resisted the celebrity machinery that consumed