Hole’s Melissa Auf der Maur release unheard ’90s demos and field recordings

Finding the Rhythm: Melissa Auf der Maur Unveils Her Private Soundscape

After a fifteen-year hiatus from releasing new music, Melissa Auf der Maur is diving deep into her personal history with an exciting new project. She is set to release BASS WOMB ROOM: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings on September 4 via Envision Records, a collection that offers an intimate glimpse into the private experimentation that fueled her career.

This release is more than just a compilation of tracks; it is a journey into the internal landscape of a rock icon. The music itself was born from a period where Auf der Maur felt immense pressure from the major label-driven industry to produce glossy hits for radio dominance. Instead of succumbing to that mandate, she channeled her energy into sound—creating a space for internal experimentation and preserving the authentic voice of the “art girl” who walked the line between indie rock and stadium stardom.

The new project features 15 tracks, including seven previously unheard four-track demos from the nineties, alongside eight new “interludes” designed to accompany her upcoming museum exhibition. These sounds capture the quiet, private side of a major figure in rock history.

Beyond the music, Auf der Maur is pairing this sonic exploration with visual history. Her exhibition, Melissa Auf der Maur: My ’90s Rock Photographs, opens at the Art Gallery of Ontario on September 2. The accompanying installation, BASS WOMB ROOM, is a mesmerizing experience—a mirror pyramid surround of video that uses sound and imagery to celebrate the transcendent feeling of performing live before the era of digital recording.

The immersive environment centers around recordings taken during live shows, often featuring handheld cameras capturing the audience. The sound pieces featured in the exhibit are sampled and connected by a recurring heartbeat motif, symbolizing both the profound power of the bass—which Auf der Maur calls the “mother of all instruments”—and the deep, primal connection of the womb.

To complete this retrospective, an accompanying 240-page photobook featuring these photographs and reflections is also being released on September 8. The book includes text contributions from Melissa, along with others who witnessed her journey in rock history.

The project offers fans a rare opportunity to hear the raw, unfiltered sounds that existed outside the polished veneer of commercial success, providing both musical insight and historical context for one of rock’s most compelling figures.