"Pretty on the Inside" is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 17, 1991, in the United States on Caroline Records. The album was produced by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and Don Fleming of Gumball, marking Hole's first major label release following their formation in 1989 by vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson.
The album features a blend of punk rock with distorted and dynamic guitar work, aggressive vocals from Love, and a raw, "sloppy punk" approach, a style the band would later move away from in favor of a more polished sound on subsequent releases. The lyrics, delivered in an abstract narrative form, explore themes of graphic violence, death, and female sexuality. The record was dedicated to Rob Ritter, known for his work with the Los Angeles punk bands the Bags and the Gun Club.
Pretty on the Inside was well-received by alternative music critics upon its release, drawing comparisons to the works of Black Sabbath and Patti Smith. It achieved significant commercial success in the United Kingdom, where the lead single "Teenage Whore" topped the UK Indie Chart in September 1991. The album has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States and has gained a cult following among punk rock enthusiasts. It is cited as an influential work for artists like Brody Dalle and Scout Niblett.
Despite its acclaim, Courtney Love later described the album as "unlistenable," though she eventually revisited her perspective. In 2021, she reflected positively on the experience of making the album, describing it as "transformative." The album has been reissued multiple times on vinyl LP.
Hole was formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California when frontwoman Courtney Love, after several unsuccessful attempts to start a band, bought a bass for her neighbor Lisa Roberts and posted an advertisement in a local paper stating: "I want to start a band. My influences are Big Black, Sonic Youth, and Fleetwood Mac." Eric Erlandson, among other musicians, responded to the ad. Love later mentioned that she felt an immediate connection with Erlandson, noting he had a "Thurston Moore quality about him" that she found appealing.
Early in their career, Hole was more focused on "making noise" rather than achieving commercial success. Before drummer Caroline Rue joined, the band played without percussion. It wasn't until Love and Erlandson heard Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick" that they considered taking the band to the next level. Influenced heavily by the New York No Wave art and music scene of the 1980s, which featured artists like Richard Kern and bands such as Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Sonic Youth, and Pussy Galore, the band also included rhythm guitarist Mike Geisbrecht in its early lineup. After their first four shows, Geisbrecht and Roberts left, and Hole chose not to replace Geisbrecht, bringing in bassist Jill Emery in 1990 and remaining a quartet.
In the documentary Not Bad for a Girl, Love, who had previously worked as a stripper, revealed that she used her earnings to support the band in its early days. She also mentioned that her experiences as a dancer inspired some of the songs on Pretty on the Inside. Love described how she drew from her experiences of playing a certain archetype while working as a dancer, incorporating elements of that persona into her music.
