Hole: Pretty on the Inside (35th anniversary edition, 2026 remaster) [HIP-O RECORDS]

Why you'll love it

This 35th anniversary edition is newly remastered for 2026. Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon co-produced with Don Fleming, and lead single "Teenage Wh*re" went straight to No. 1 on the UK Indie Chart.

This edition

• 35th anniversary edition
• 2026 remaster
• Pressed in Mexico

About the album

Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson formed Hole in Los Angeles in 1989, and two years later they arrived with one of the loudest, rawest debuts of the decade. Caroline Records put it out in September 1991, the same month Nevermind landed, and anyone who thought they knew where alternative rock was headed suddenly had some rethinking to do.

It's a ferocious record: distorted, tangled guitars, Love switching from a growl to a full scream, and lyrics told as jagged, abstract stories. "Babydoll," "Garbadge Man," "Good Sister / Bad Sister" and the title track hit hard, while "Starbelly" and "Clouds" show the band's stranger, more spacious side. Critics reached for Black Sabbath and Patti Smith by way of comparison, and the album was dedicated to Rob Ritter of the Bags and the Gun Club.

It sold over 200,000 copies in the U.S., built a cult following among punk fans, and inspired songwriters like Brody Dalle and Scout Niblett. Love later called making it a transformative experience. Getting Kim Gordon to produce your debut is a bit like having a racing driver take you for your driving test.

Also at Kops: more Hole on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Caroline / Capitol, a reissue of the 1991 album.