The Violent Femmes emerged as a cornerstone of the American underground, crafting jittery, neurotic, and darkly humorous songs that remained irresistibly catchy and helped define early alternative rock. Their self-titled 1983 debut blended acoustic instruments with raw hostility to produce a landmark set of melodic, angst-driven tracks, and the group continued issuing records throughout the 1980s and 1990s, among them the incisive yet tuneful folk-rock of 1991's Why Do Birds Sing? Lineup shifts and slower output marked the 2000s, yet the band returned in 2016 with We Can Do Anything, their ninth studio album and first collection of new material in sixteen years. Hotel Last Resort, their tenth studio effort, appeared in 2019, and a deluxe 40th-anniversary edition of the landmark debut followed in 2023.
Formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the early 1980s, the trio consisted of singer/guitarist Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie, and percussionist Victor DeLorenzo. Discovered by the Pretenders' James Honeyman-Scott while busking outdoors, they joined Slash Records and released their self-titled debut, a melodic folk-punk album whose bitter, frustrated songs such as "Blister in the Sun," "Kiss Off," and "Add It Up" resonated deeply with disaffected young listeners. Although it never charted, the record became a generational touchstone for successive waves of teen outsiders and eventually reached platinum certification nearly a decade after release.
Gano's lyrics on 1984's Hallowed Ground began to incorporate themes from his devout Baptist background as the band's sound moved toward traditional folk and country forms. Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads produced 1986's The Blind Leading the Naked, which leaned closer to mainstream rock; a cover of the T. Rex classic "Children of the Revolution" yielded a minor hit. Following that album the group briefly disbanded, during which Gano issued a self-titled 1987 gospel record with his side project the Mercy Seat, while Ritchie put out solo albums including 1987's The Blend and 1989's Sonic Temple & Court of Babylon on SST, plus I See a Noise on Dali Records in 1990. The Violent Femmes reconvened for 1989's 3 and 1991's Why Do Birds Sing?, the latter containing their deconstructionist reading of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"
After the 1993 compilation Add It Up (1981-1993), DeLorenzo left to pursue the solo path he had started two years earlier with Peter Corey Sent Me; his follow-up, Pancake Day, appeared in 1996. Guy Hoffman, previously of Oil Tasters and BoDeans, replaced him in time for 1994's New Times on Elektra, the band's only release for that label. Rock!!!!! came out in 1995 solely in Australia on Mushroom Records, and the live set Viva Wisconsin arrived on the indie Beyond label in 1999, followed in early 2000 by the studio album Freak Magnet. In spring 2001 the band issued Something's Wrong, their first MP3-only release, via EMusic.com, gathering rarities, covers, acoustic live cuts, alternate versions, and demos. Rhino/Slash reissued the debut in 2002 as a two-disc deluxe edition with twenty-two previously unreleased tracks, then issued Permanent Record: The Very Best Of in 2005.
A New Year's Eve 2005 performance reunited all three original members with Guy Hoffman. Tensions surfaced in 2007 when Ritchie sued Gano over royalty accounting and songwriting credit, also alleging unauthorized licensing of "Blister in the Sun" for a Wendy's commercial. Amid the dispute the band released a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" as a single in June 2008, yet the conflict led to a split in 2009. Ritchie and Gano settled out of court in 2012; the Violent Femmes reunited in 2013 for numerous shows, including Coachella, marking the 30th anniversary of their debut. Drummer Victor DeLorenzo then departed acrimoniously, stating, "In regards to my history with the Violent Femmes, the dream never quite got there," and was replaced by Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls. This lineup performed regularly and issued a four-song EP for Record Store Day in 2015, previewing the full-length We Can Do Anything, which arrived in March 2016 after Viglione had already left. John Sparrow joined as drummer for the supporting tour; live recordings from those dates formed the 2017 album 2 Mics & the Truth. The tenth studio album, Hotel Last Resort, followed in 2019. Its direct, energetic style echoed the band's earliest work while incorporating multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza and guest appearances by skateboarding figure Stefan Janoski and guitarist Tom Verlaine.
A deluxe 40th-anniversary edition of the 1983 self-titled debut appeared in 2023, presenting a fully remastered original album alongside previously unreleased early demos and live recordings.
