New Miserable Experience

New Miserable Experience is the breakthrough album by pop-rock band the Gin Blossoms, released on August 4, 1992. The album was released to little fanfare and relatively lackluster reviews. However, nearly a year after its release, lead single "Hey Jealousy" ascended into the top 40, with "Found Out About You" following a few months later. The album eventually reached multi-platinum status.

Guitarist Doug Hopkins was fired near the conclusion of the recording sessions for the album, ostensibly for his persistent alcohol problems. (His replacement, Scott Johnson, is listed as a member of the band in the liner notes, but did not play on the album.) Just as the album was becoming a success at the end of 1993, Hopkins committed suicide.

New Miserable Experience's initial release contained completely different packaging. The album's original cover artwork depicted the Arizona desert, the background behind which the band began. Songs on the album, such as "Mrs. Rita," a song about a local psychic from the Gin Blossoms' hometown of Tempe, Arizona, were also written with references to the area, people, and events surrounding the band at the time. The majority of songs rely on a melody-driven pop style while the final track, "Cheatin'," leans into country. The album was re-released in its current form in the late summer of 1993, in conjunction with A&M's newfound support of the album. To celebrate the album's tenth anniversary, a deluxe edition containing an extra disc of demos, outtakes and live performances was released by the label in 2002.