9 bands you'll like if you love Hole
repurposing a class assignment for my blog!!!!
I’ve been super busy with classes as the term wraps up (10 week terms are intense), but I wanted to keep up with my posting schedule on this blog. Since my last two posts were general cultural musings / opinions, I thought it would work well to return to a post about another piece of culture — music! It seemed to fit nicely, so this week I’m reposting an assignment for my digital publishing class. It was originally posted here, but you can also keep reading right here on Substack. I haven’t done this type of recommended-if-you-like post on this blog, but if you want this to become a regular thing let me know in the comments!
Now — the post:
Genres: grunge, alternative rock, punk, noise rock, etc.
#1: Janitor Joe – Past Project of Past Member
Former bassist Kristen Pfaff was originally in the band Janitor Joe before she joined Hole. The band members of Hole quickly knew they wanted Pfaff to join them, saying in an interview, “when she played, that was it: we knew.” The noise rock of Janitor Joe is gritty and heavy, probably most comparable to “Pretty On The Inside” if I had to compare it to a Hole album. You can definitely hear the influence of 80’s metal mix with the new sounds of alternative rock that were forming their roots in the early 90’s. “Big Metal Birds” seems to be their more popular release, although I think that both of the albums sound fairly similar.
#2 Melissa Auf der Maur solo work – Subsequent Project of Past Member
According to her Spotify Bio, Melissa Auf der Maur was one of a number of Hole’s bassists, and she was also briefly a bassist for the Smashing Pumpkins. Later she released some of her own solo work. Her 2004 album is a great example of early aughts alternative rock, with haunting vocals and killer guitar riffs. Both of her albums are good, but if you check out her work start with “Auf Der Maur,” as I think this album is stronger. I have a harder time connecting Melissa’s solo work to one of Hole’s albums than I did with Janitor Joe, as it reminds me more of other 2000’s alternative bands than distinctly being reminiscent of Hole or grunge. However, if I had to make a comparison, I’d say it’s closer to one of Hole’s last two albums.
#3 Babes in Toyland – (Allegedly) Past Project of Current Member / Band That’s Played With Courtney Love
I wasn’t sure where to put Babes in Toyland through these categories, but I knew I absolutely wanted them to be on the list. Regarding whether or not Courtney was a member of the band, Totalizer Magazine writes “Love claims she was one of the early members of Babes in Toyland, which members of that band deny.” The Spotify bio for Hole writes that Courtney played with an early version of Babes in Toyland, and the Spotify bio for Babes in Toyland says Kat Bjelland played in various bands that featured Courtney Love, so I thought perhaps the band could fit in this category of “other projects of band members.”
Technicalities aside, Babes in Toyland is an awesome female trio that makes blunt, unapologetic, harsh alternative rock. Sometimes regarded as a “riot grrrl” band, the lyrics are sung, yelled, and screamed with a passionate intensity. Their 1992 album “Fontanelle” is especially strong, but I recommend dipping a toe into each album to get a taste of all these women can do. At the least, try out some songs from “Fontanelle,” “Painkillers,” and “Nemesisters”; you will not be disappointed. This is a quintessential band to check out if you like heavy, female-fronted, dark music. They’re definitely one of my favorites in their genre.
#4: Jack Off Jill – Band from Similar Era
Most people I talk to about this band either don’t know them or love them. If you like Hole’s abrasive, female vocals over melodic guitar riffs, then you’ll be right at home listening to Jack Off Jill. There’s a mix of good vocals, tasteful yelling, and very 90’s instrumentals. “Clear Hearts Grey Flowers” is my favorite album by them. I’d say they’re probably most comparable to “Live Through This” out of all the Hole albums, which makes sense as that’s my favorite Hole album and Jack Off Jill is one of my favorites on this list.
#5: Heavens to Betsy – Band from Similar Era
Heavens to Betsy is another all-female 90’s band that often earns the tag “riot grrrl.” You may recognize the singer, who notably went on to form the pioneering riot-grrrl band Sleater-Kinney. (If you’re thinking, “why are there so many riot grrrl bands in this list,” just remember how hard it was to avoid that label if you were both female and punk in the 90’s.) Heavens to Betsy only has one album and one EP, but they’re worth a listen. It’s a little hard to compare them to a Hole album, but I’d say probably “Live Through This” again due to the rough vocals containing palpable emotion.
#6: The Donnas – Band from Similar, Slightly Newer Era
This band came a little later than Hole, with a few hits right at the beginning of the 21st century. Inspired by riot grrrl, The Donnas are another all-female band that play pure rock and roll. Compared to Hole, I think they’re most comparable to the album, “Celebrity Skin,” albeit with notable differences. If you check out this band, definitely start with their early album, “Spend the Night.” They have a bit more of a commercial and less alternative and gritty sound, but they’re still fun to listen to.
#7: Slutever – Similar 2010’s Band
Slutever is a punk rock band, and, you guessed it, also all-female. It’s kind of tragic that they only have one album released, but I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from this 2010’s band. One of their songs, 1994, actually references “Nevermind” and “Live Through This,” so I’d assume Hole is one of their influences. The song is sludgy and gloomy, as quite a few of their songs are. As we stray away from the members’ projects and the time period of Hole, it’s harder to compare the artists to one specific album. This band may be a blend of Hole’s first two albums since it is more on the punk side of alternative.
#8: Hello Mary – Similar 2020’s Band
Hello Mary has a 90’s sound without sounding like a carbon copy, which I find refreshing and respectable. This band has been releasing music since about 2019 and has two albums under their belt. How shocked would you be if I said this was another all-female group? Their Bandcamp describes their sound better than I could (perhaps because they likely wrote it themselves): “Melding together elements of indie rock, grunge and shoegaze, Hello Mary delivers lovely vocal harmonies layered over crunchy guitar parts, melodic bass lines, and driving drums that pay homage to the alt. rock scene of the 90’s.” Hello Mary’s discography is hard to tie to one or even two of Hole albums specifically; I can hear the inspiration from each Hole album depending on the song. All of Hello Mary’s music came out years after the most recent Hole album, so it makes sense that the inspiration would sound more like a conglomeration of each album rather than one in particular. I’d recommend either of their albums, as both are really good. **side note: Their newest album was my #2 pick on my top albums of 2023 post**
#9: Wych Elm – Similar 2020’s Band
Wych Elm put out their first release in 2017, and they now have three albums launched. The album “Field of Crows” is absolutely in my top ten albums released in 2023. They describe themselves as “scrappy, menacing and contemplative grungy indie rock.” This is another band where I kind of have to cop out and say that I can see each Hole album in their songs. Per usual, most of their stuff is good, but I’d recommend their most recent album “Field of Crows,” which I already mentioned as being a favorite of mine. However, if you’re looking for something a bit less abrasive and with a lower energy, their second album is more subdued, although it holds on to an anxious feeling of doom that I think gives a lot of power to the songs. I’m excited to see where this band goes next with their music.
These bands ranged from products of members of Hole, to products of the same time period as Hole, ending at products of a time in which Hole had made a lasting impact on rock and younger musicians. Hopefully you were able to find a band you didn’t know or reconnect with a long-lost favorite. Let me know in the comments if you already loved some of these bands, if you checked them out and loved them, or if they weren’t quite your style. You can also comment to add more recommendations to the list if you know some bands that would fit well! Also, if you liked this type of post, I can definitely make more like this! I have a few more blog-style posts like this to write for my class, so it would be super easy to also post them here for my subscribers :)
loveee these!! I’d recommend the band veruca salt, very much in the same vein :)
Haven’t listened to many of these bands but just clicking through some of Spotify links and I totally see the similarities. Will have to listen more!!