The Depths · All albums

In Utero

Nirvana · 1993

• Zone: Shallows (level 2 of 5)
• Genre: Rock, Grunge, Noise rock
• Mood: abrasive, bitter, raw
• Sound: Albini production, dissonant guitar, screamed vocals, dynamic extremes, sparse drums

Nirvana made In Utero as a deliberate retreat from the polish of Nevermind. They recorded it in a few days with Steve Albini, who captured the band raw and loud, with the drums sounding huge and the guitars sounding abrasive and cold. The songs swing between pretty melodies and noise, with screamed vocals, feedback and sour, grinding riffs. The lyrics are about illness, fame, the body and birth, with bitter humour. In Utero was the biggest band in the world putting out an album that sounded like it was trying to push listeners away. That helped make abrasive, unpolished rock acceptable on a major label, and it became a template for noisy, difficult records that followed.

Track list

1. Serve the Servants
2. Scentless Apprentice
3. Heart-Shaped Box
4. Rape Me
5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
6. Dumb
7. Very Ape
8. Milk It
9. Pennyroyal Tea
10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
11. tourette’s
12. All Apologies