Hole

Live Through This Hole National Album Day 2025 Purple Vinyl edition

Live Through This is being reissued in 2025 on purple vinyl as part of National Album Day 2025 (NAD 2025).

From its opening salvo Violet to the raw intimacy of Doll Parts, Live Through This stands as a defining statement in Hole’s catalogue and in ’90s alternative rock itself. Released on April 12, 1994, just days after Kurt Cobain’s death, the record emerged under the weight of tragedy — yet transcended it.

Recorded in late 1993 at Triclops Sound in Georgia under the guidance of producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie, the album marks a turning point: from the abrasiveness of Pretty on the Inside into a more melodic yet unforgiving sound. Love’s songwriting confronts themes of motherhood, identity, beauty, self-doubt and agency — all entwined with a fierce refusal to yield.

Critics greeted Live Through This with near-universal acclaim. Its sharper contours, dynamic contrasts, and emotional breadth elevated Hole from underground punk noise to a band capable of both cathartic force and haunting restraint. In hindsight, it is often held up as Hole’s definitive work — the record that turned skepticism into reverence.