Hole: reissues of Courtney Love's iconic grunge trilogy on the way

The three albums that defined the history of Hole in the 90s are returning to the market in new physical editions. The band led by Courtney Love has announced that on September 18, 2026, “Pretty On The Inside”, “Live Through This” and “Celebrity Skin” will be reissued by UMe in various formats, including 180-gram black vinyl, colored editions, zoetrope versions with animations inspired by the original videos, and CDs.
The entire project was coordinated by guitarist and co-founder Eric Erlandson, who oversaw the audio remastering and the restoration of the original packaging. It's an operation that effectively traces Hole's entire arc through the 90s, from their abrasive, noise-driven beginnings to the more melodic, pop-leaning turn at the end of the decade.

Special attention has been given to “Pretty On The Inside”, which marks its 35th anniversary in 2026. Originally released in 1991 and recorded at Music Box Studios in Los Angeles with production by Don Fleming and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Hole's debut captured a lineup made up of Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Jill Emery and Caroline Rue, showing the band at its rawest, most extreme and viscerally noise-rock.
For the anniversary, a special limited double-vinyl “Starbelly Splatter” edition will also arrive, with a new gatefold sleeve and a lithograph featuring a rare photo of the band. The set also includes the remastered version of the “Teenage Whore” 12″, accompanied by the B-sides “Burn Black” and “Drown Soda”: the latter will also make their streaming debut at the same time.

The second chapter is “Live Through This”, the 1994 album that firmly established Hole as one of the defining bands of American alternative rock of that era. Recorded at Triclops Sound in Marietta, Georgia, with production by Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade, the album will be reissued with a new master specifically created for vinyl. It was the era of the lineup featuring Kristen Pfaff on bass and Patty Schemel on drums, behind an album that struck a particularly effective balance between the violence of their early work and a more melodic, immediate songwriting style.

The trilogy is completed by “Celebrity Skin”, released in 1998 and recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles with Michael Beinhorn producing. With Melissa Auf Der Maur now a permanent fixture on bass, Hole pushed their sound even further, shedding much of their grunge edge for a more polished, melodic and openly pop-leaning rock. It was the album of their international breakthrough, one that transformed neurosis, disillusionment and Hollywood glamour into songs with a far brighter, more sophisticated production.
Alongside the reissues due September 18, a second round will follow on October 23, when special colored-vinyl editions from the Record Store Day Essentials series arrive at independent record stores.

The announcement has inevitably rekindled the hopes of those awaiting a Hole reunion, but Courtney Love has made clear on social media that, at least for now, the band's return to the stage is not on the cards. Melissa Auf Der Maur is, however, expected to join the singer for some dates on her upcoming solo tour, during which new material will also be showcased.
At the center of Courtney Love's plans is “Died Blonde”, the new solo album she's reportedly been working on for about eight years, intended to carry forward the legacy of “America’s Sweetheart”, released in 2004. Names linked to the project include Auf Der Maur herself, Michael Stipe and Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen, while Love is also said to have attempted to bring in Jay-Z through her friend Gwyneth Paltrow.
Ahead of the new record, “Antiheroine” is also expected to arrive, a documentary about Courtney Love's life and career directed by Edward Lovelace and James Hall. A new chapter for one of the most controversial and recognizable figures in rock of recent decades, as the reissues of Hole's three albums turn the spotlight back on the period that cemented their legend.

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