Nina Gordon and Louise Post believe in miracles. Rightfully so, as it had been about 15 years since either vocalist/guitarist from the Windy City behemoth Veruca Salt had spoken to each other. Yet here they are in 2014, giggling and reminiscing in a conference call as though they were the same inseparable “Volcano Girls” from the ’90s.

“It’s kind of remarkable, uncanny, whatever. It’s crazy,” the still-girlish-sounding Gordon says.

“… We’re still finding our rock legs again. But it’s crazy how it comes back. It’s like riding a bike.”

'Broken Relationships' No More

That ride has been a healthy, productive and joyful one. For Record Store Day 2014, Gordon and Post (along with original members drummer Jim Shapiro and bassist Steve Lack) re-released their signature barnburner, “Seether,” on Minty Fresh. Accompanying the beloved hit were two new Veruca Salt compositions— the snaky “The Museum of Broken Relationships” and the candy-coated “It’s Holy.” Those plum tracks signified a renewal for the former besties, while being true to the VS sound. A full-length album is to come in October, and it’s slated to reignite the band’s initial fuzz-and-frills fury.

“This record sounds like a follow-up to [1994’s] American Thighs,” the deeper-voiced Post says.  “[People have asked], ‘You mean [1997’s] Eight Arms To Hold You, right?’ And I say, ‘No, American Thighs.’ So it’s just interesting because we recorded it with Brad [Wood] and of course he’s come a long way creatively.

And I have to say, I think Brad, too – and this is what one hopes, right? – we’ve all grown and evolved creatively in the best ways.”

That growing period after the breakup in 1998 saw the Salts going in different directions. Gordon’s and Post’s songwriting release dates coincidentally coincided: The latter’s adult contemporary albums, Tonight and the Rest of My Life and Bleeding Heart Graffiti, came out in 2000 and 2006— the same years Post’s grittier Resolver and IV appeared under the Veruca Salt banner. (Post’s maintaining of the band’s name was a sticking point to her former collaborators, and even she notes that it was “massively oppressive because I had to live up to something that was too big to live up to.” A rotating cast played under the VS umbrella from 2000-2006, including Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino.)

Dreamed a Dream of Domesticity

Then things got quiet and domesticated for the foursome. Gordon married Tonic guitarist Jeff Russo and became a full-time mom to their two children. Post wed musician Tony Parks, settled in Los Angeles and had a daughter. Lack relocated to a San Diego suburb and worked for a surfboard manufacturer. Shapiro held down the fort in Chicago, raising a daughter and fronting the band Ultraswiss. Ultimately, all four gave up their instruments for ages. The gentlemen have noted in other interviews that almost immediately after Veruca Salt dissipated, so, too, did their desire to play music. And the women say their youngsters led to their hanging up their Gibsons and banshee-leaning singing style.

“I didn’t play guitar for years and didn’t sing much at all. My daughter didn’t like me to sing,” Post says with a laugh. “She would just shake her head at me.” Though, her little lady has jammed with Gordon’s son and daughter, perhaps fostering a new generation of seethers.

Veruca Salt Rocks On

It wasn’t until 2012, when the reunion of Mazzy Star caught Gordon’s attention, that the genesis for this tour and upcoming album occurred. There was still a fevered interest in Veruca Salt, and it came from sources as lofty as Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who was spotted at the Roxy gig on June 27.

“He likes to impart his rock wisdom on me and on our band about what we should be doing,” Gordon says of the guitar innovator. “And he knows every word to every song!”

Post interrupts in disbelief: “That’s so cool! I didn’t know he knew the lyrics!”

Gordon reaffirms: “Every single word, Louise.”
And come October, we’ll all be able to recite every single word of the new Veruca Salt album. If “Museum of Broken Relationships” and “It’s Holy” are indicators, this one will blow other reunion records out of the water.