FLASHBACK | Album review | Gin Blossoms, “New Miserable Experience”
Gin Blossom’s breakout album “New Miserable Experience” was once praised by the Mecca of all music magazines, Rolling Stone, as sounding “both fresh and highly personal.”
Brian Charlton
Contributing Writer

Gin Blossom’s breakout album “New Miserable Experience” was once praised by the Mecca of all music magazines, Rolling Stone, as sounding “both fresh and highly personal.” When the album first released in 1992, it accumulated little fanfare with more or less lackluster critical reviews. But as 1992 went on, their lead single “Hey Jealousy” ascended into the top 40, with their other single “Found Out About You” following in the subsequent months. This indeterminable future shaped their fame leading New Miserable Experience to multi-platinum status and earning it a small place in all ’90s lovers’ hearts.
The group’s founding member, singer-songwriter David Hopkins, wrote all the best material for the albums up until the conclusion of “New Miserable Experience.” He was, however, soon disbanded by the time the major-label debut in 1992 due to his alcoholism. Shortly thereafter Hopkins killed himself.
The Gin Blossoms remained optimistic through this rough patch with the recruitment of a new member, Scott Johnson. With the release of their next single, the Gin Blossoms struck gold, so to speak, with “Til I Hear It From You.” The song never actually appeared on any Gin Blossom album. Written by an outside writer, Marshall Crenshaw, it had a private release on the Empire Records Soundtrack.
Part of what made “New Miserable Experience” so lasting was not a question of how but when. During the zenith of grunge music, the album remains to be the best and most representative document of all the proceeding Gin Blossoms albums, where Allmusic quoted it as, “a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music that was markedly different from the bulk of 1992’s modern rock albums.” Although the two songs that left the greatest impression of their talent on “New Miserable Experience,” “Hey Jealousy” and “Until I Fall Away,” both became successful singles, another notable jangle of melodic and lyrical desperation came out of “Hold Me Down.” Even some of the lower points, marked by the genre pieces “Cheatin’” and “Cajun Song,” provided some charm for fans.
Even today, The Gin Blossoms remain relevant as the people of Virginia have the opportunity to relive a dream world by seeing Gin Blossoms live at the Summerland Festival at Wolf Trap. Everclear, Sugar Ray, Marcy Playground, and Lit will also be present to rock the socks off of giddy women and men alike. CT
Just to let you know, “‘Til I Hear if From You” wasn’t just done with an outside writer. Sure, Crenshaw is one of the three writers attributed to it, but the other two are the Blossoms Robin Wilson and Jesse Valenzuela.