Veruca Salt's Louise Post Shares 'Guilty' From Debut Solo Album

04-04-2023

Album art

(The Oriel Co) Celebrated as one of Alternative rock's most important trailblazers, Louise Post - of seminal band Veruca Salt - will be releasing her first solo album, entitled Sleepwalker, on June 2 on El Camino Media. Produced by Matt Drenik (Lions, Battleme), Sleepwalker is a classic combination of Post's ability to weave intricate lyrical tapestries with undeniable, hook-heavy melodies. The album's first song, a perfect reverie of guitar haze called "Guilty," is available to hear now. Louise has also announced a 19-date headlining tour in support of the album.

For the past three decades, Louise Post has been the co-frontwoman of the celebrated act Veruca Salt, whose massive hit singles like "Seether" and "Volcano Girls" are still in regular rotation on rock radio. Although Veruca Salt has consistently released music with Post as the sole constant member, during the pandemic she started writing a collection of songs that felt more personal and less like the follow-up to Veruca Salt's 2015 return-to-form, Ghost Notes. "Out of nowhere, these songs started flowing out of me and almost appeared to be writing themselves," Post explains, adding that many of these melodies came to her during the transitive state between sleep and consciousness known as hypnagogia.

"I have always identified as a sleepwalker," Post says of the album's title. "I slept-walked around my house routinely when I was a child, and even down the street. I believe in hindsight it was me trying to process what was going on in my home with my parents' troubled marriage. As far as I know, I stopped sleepwalking after the divorce when I was eight, but it has always been a part of me that I feel protective of, a little girl who I feel sad for," she continues, adding that sleep has also served as her gateway to creativity.

During these inspired solitary sessions, Post eventually wrote three albums worth of material and was able to edit it down to this collection of eleven songs with help from producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Drenik (Lions, Battleme). She helmed recording guitar, bass and piano herself, asking a rotating cast of other musicians to help her fill out the sound and collectively build the sonic textures that she felt the songs needed.

From the mesmerizing and moody opener "Queen of the Pirates'' to the electronica-inflected pop of "All Messed Up" and the Pixies-esque guitar grandeur of "Guilty," Sleepwalker is an album that showcases the various aspects of Post's songwriting while still staying true to the distinctive niche she's carved out for herself through her work in Veruca Salt. "Of course I love guitar-driven music but that wasn't important to me when I was making this album," Post explains. "I was really focused on exploring when it came to the arrangements; the sky was the limit when it came to orchestration on this album." She also believes that the influence of her child exposing her to artists like Billie Eilish and Finneas, as well as her own admiration for Post Malone and Imagine Dragons, among others, impacted her songwriting.

Like all of Posts's best songs, there's a darkness beneath the surface on Sleepwalker that gives the album a haunting quality that is far from accidental. The sensitivity to her past, and attention to her inner child, is evident on this album, particularly when it comes to songs like the piano-driven "Hollywood Hills." "I think [that song is] looking back lovingly on the past, paying homage to it, while drawing a clear distinction between the past and present," she adds. "It's a really bold thing to do at this moment in time for me personally to come out in a solo context after having been known for being in a band for my entire career."

In that spirit, Post insists that recording and releasing Sleepwalker wasn't only a creative endeavor but that she also felt a responsibility to add her voice to the common collective and be loud regarding injustices, whether it came to relationships ("All Messed Up"), feminism ("Queen of the Pirates") or politics ("Killer"). "Throughout it all, I felt like my higher purpose was screaming at me, trying to wake me up from my despair and setting me on a path of creativity," she says. "I had felt paralyzed and desolate as the pandemic set in and writing these songs helped snap me out of my stupor and reclaim a small part of the solution."

Post is quick to add that her connection with and the interest generated by the fans she has cultivated over her career was also a motivating force during those difficult moments when self-doubt set in. "If they weren't there I don't know that I would have felt so strongly compelled to deliver this album, but with my listeners' support, I can say that I have the humblest opportunity to lift spirits and make connections through the magical medium of music," Post explains. "The gift is mine and I am really grateful for it."

In support of Sleepwalker, Post will embark on a bi-coastal headlining tour kicking off June 12th at Vancouver's Cobalt and concluding at the Ready Room in St. Louis, MO on July 22nd. The 19-date tour will include stops at legendary venues such as the Bowery Ballroom in New York City and the Echoplex in Los Angeles. Artist presale begins at 10am local time on April 5th, and general on-sale will occur at 10am local time on April 7th. See below for the full tour routing.

Upcoming Louise Post Tour Dates
6/12 - Cobalt - Vancouver, BC
6/13 - Sunset - Seattle, WA
6/14 - MS Studios - Portland, OR
6/15 - Treefort Music Hall - Boise, ID
6/17 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO
6/19 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
6/20 - Parish - Austin, TX
6/23 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
6/25 - Casbah - San Diego, CA
7/10 - Aisle 5 - Atlanta, GA
7/11 - Pinhook - Raleigh, NC
7/13 - Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
7/14 - Union Stage - Washington, DC
7/15 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
7/17 - Bar Le Ritz - Montreal, QC
7/18 - The Garrison - Toronto, ON
7/20 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
7/21 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
7/22 - Ready Room - St. Louis, MO

Sleepwalker track listing:
Queen Of The Pirates
Guilty
What About
All Messed Up
Killer
Hollywood Hills
Secrets
All These Years
Don't Give Up
God I Know
The Way We Live