Gin Blossoms

Gin Blossoms graduated from the college rock circuit to the pop charts in 1993, when the singles "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You" cracked the Billboard Top 40. Compared to the waves of grunge produced in the wake of Nirvana's breakthrough, the Gin Blossoms evoked an earlier time -- specifically, the big jangle of the '80s, when the South was alive with bands who strove to replicate the ringing sound of R.E.M. Certainly, New Miserable Experience, the group's 1992 major-label debut, sounded like a kindred spirit to '80s college rock, even if it was goosed with loud guitars that made it feel at home in the alt-rock explosion of the '90s. Despite racking up a number of hits during the mid-'90s -- a string that peaked in 1996, when "Follow You Down" made the Billboard Top 10 and its flipside, "Til I Hear It from You," fell short at 11 -- Gin Blossoms were plagued with internal problems, chief among them dealing with the fallout of the departure and subsequent suicide of guitarist Doug Hopkins, who wrote half of New Miserable Experience. These tensions led the group to split in 1997 but after a five-year break, they reunited for an album and tour. From that point forward, Gin Blossoms were an active concern, releasing albums every few years and touring regularly, pulling in audiences who remember their '90s hits fondly.

From 🇺🇸 United States