Veruca Salt - Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt EP

Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt is a four-track EP by the American alternative rock band Veruca Salt, released on April 16, 1996, via DGC Records and Minty Fresh. Recorded by acclaimed producer Steve Albini, the release captures a rawer, heavier, and more abrasive grunge sound than the band's polished studio albums, serving as a fierce transitional bridge between their 1994 debut American Thighs and 1997's Eight Arms to Hold You. The tracklist splits songwriting duties down the middle between co-frontwomen Nina Gordon and Louise Post, delivering aggressive fan favourites like "Shimmer Like a Girl" and "I'm Taking Europe with Me." Visually defined by its playful cover art featuring the band wrapped in toilet paper, the EP remains a celebrated, punchy snapshot of mid-90s underground alternative rock.

Released in the wake of their massive radio hit "Seether," Veruca Salt’s 1996 EP Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt serves as a thrillingly abrasive palate cleanser that stripped away their pop-grunge gloss. By recruiting legendary underground producer Steve Albini, co-frontwomen Nina Gordon and Louise Post successfully revolted against mainstream expectations. Albini's signature touch is unmistakable from the opening seconds, capturing a blistering, cavernous room sound that pushes the band’s dual-guitar assault and heavy rhythm section right into the listener's face. The result is a short but incredibly impactful collection where the band trades polished hooks for pure, unadulterated distortion and visceral energy.

The four tracks showcase a perfect balance between Gordon’s melodic sensibilities and Post’s darker, more volatile writing style. Tracks like "Shimmer Like a Girl" and "I'm Taking Europe with Me" retain the band's innate knack for infectious melodies but bury them under thick layers of sludgy, confrontational guitar fuzz. The EP peaks with the brooding, slow-burn energy of "New York Mining Disaster 1996" and the explosive intensity of "Disinherit," proving that Veruca Salt possessed a genuine punk-rock ferocity often overlooked by contemporary critics. Overall, the EP stands as a definitive high point in the band's 1990s catalog, offering a fascinating glimpse of what they sounded like when completely unchained from radio constraints.

Ripped to MP3

1. "Shimmer Like a Girl" (4:03)

2. "I'm Taking Europe with Me" (3:45)

3. "New York Mining Disaster 1996" (4:56)

4. "Disinherit" (6:25)