| Hold It In | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cover for the CD edition. | ||
| Studio album by the Melvins | ||
| Released | October 14 2014 | |
| Recorded | 14 at Sound of Siren Studios, Haasienda Studios and Preacher Mon Studios in California | |
| Genre | Sludge Metal, Grunge, Alternative Rock | |
| Length | 52:55 | |
| Producer | Melvins, Toshi Kasai | |
| the Melvins chronology | ||
| Tres Cabrones (2013) |
Hold It In (2014) |
Around The USA in 51 Days: The Movie! (2015) |
Hold It In is a studio album by the Melvins. Recorded in 2014, it would be released in the Fall of that year via Ipecac Recordings.[1] Notably the lineup for this album features Melvins stalwarts Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover joined by Butthole Surfers members Paul Leary and Jeff Pinkus, with Osborne describing the album as a "true collaboration".[2] It would garner critical praise and elicit modern live staples in "Sesame Street Meat" and "Onions Make The Milk Taste Bad".
Background[]
In 2013, Jeff Pinkus would join The Melvins as a live bassist on the band's thirtieth anniversary tour, filling in for Jared Warren who was out at the time due to the birth of his child. This in turn would lead to Pinkus joining the band and participating in the next album, along with Paul Leary.
In an interview with Louder Sound, Osborne would speak retroactively about the album:
| “ | "This is another true collaboration that Dale and I did with the guys from the Butthole Surfers; Paul Leary [guitar] and Jeff Pinkus [bass]. We’d done a lot of live shows with Jeff before that, and we had the idea to record with Jeff whilst we were on tour; I was like, ‘Oh, and what about also playing with Paul?’ Paul is one of my favourite guitar players, and through Jeff we made that happen. For that one we did meet up and write songs together; it was me, Dale and Jeff more than it was me, Dale, Jeff and Paul, but Paul did contribute a lot to the songs and he also brought in his own songs that we all played on. He sang three songs on the record as well, which was really odd for a Melvins record but it was great. It was a really fun record to do, and I’d love to do another one with those guys. It was unlike anything we’ve ever done. We still play a bunch of those songs live too, and the Butthole Surfers, to me, are one of the best bands ever; they’ve never done things by the book and that’s exactly what I like about them." | ” |
— King Buzzo, Louder Sound[3]
|
Hold It In would be announced in the Summer of 2014 and released in the Fall that year, surrounded by a 2014 tour with Le Butcherettes and a follow-up tour in 2015 known as the Hold It In Tour. Notably a song called "Captain Comedown" was performed on the 2015 tour and later released on the 2016 album Basses Loaded, presumably recorded in the same sessions as this album. A single LP vinyl edition was released by Ipecac Recordings in December 2014, omitting the tracks "Eyes on You" and "House of Gasoline". A 10" single of Bride of Crankenstein was released by Amphetamine Reptile Records, featuring the omitted tracks.[4]
Hold It In would receive positive reception, with a score of 74/100 on Metacritic.[5] Sam Shepherd, writing for MusicOMH and awarding a 4/5, would praise the whole of the record and state "It is heartening to find a band still on form after all these years and still seeking to push the boundaries and themselves."[6] Blabbermouth would also notably award an 8/10 score[7] while Tiny Mix Tapes would award a 3.5/5.[8] Consequence of Sound would score the album a C+, praising some portions of the album while criticizing the uneven nature and experimental portions, ultimately stating "Hold It In pushes Melvins in new ways largely without sacrificing their mischievous metal heart. This album doesn’t change the Melvins narrative, but it’s certainly enjoyable, big, and full of muscly, headbanging jams."[9] Despite citing Hold It In as "a musical merger between the two bands that is also one of the catchiest Melvins record to date", Pitchfork would score the album a 6.1/10.[10]
Tracklist[]
All songs written by Kung Buzzo, Dale Crover and Jeff Pinkus except where noted.
- 1. Bride of Crankenstein (2:49)
- 2. You Can Make Me Wait (2:49) (Paul Leary)
- 3. Brass Cupcake (3:24)
- 4. Barcelonian Horseshoe Pit (4:22)
- 5. Onions Make The Milk Taste Bad (5:01)
- 6. Eyes on You (3:24) (Leary)
- 7. Sesame Street Meat (3:28)
- 8. Nine Yards (2:29)
- 9. The Bunk Up (7:35)
- 10. I Get Along (Hollow Moon) (2:25)
- 11. Piss Pisstopherson (2:58)
- 12. House of Gasoline (12:11)
Personnel[]
The Melvins[]
- King Buzzo - Guitar, Backing Vocals; Lead Vocals (3, 5, 7, 9, 12)
- Dale Crover - Drums, Backing Vocals
- Jeff Pinkus- Bass, Backing Vocals; Lead Vocals (1, 8, 11)
- Paul Leary - Guitar, Engineer; Backing Vocals (3); Lead Vocals (2, 6, 10)
Technical Personnel[]
- Toshi Kasai - Engineer
- Stephen Haas - Engineer
- John Golden - Mastering
- Brian Gardner - Mastering (2, 6, 10)
- Mackie Osborne - Design