Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr. was one of the bands to emerge from the alternative hardcore scene that dominated the American underground rock scene in the 1980s, featuring two central figures of the 1990s alternative scene: J Mascis and Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion). The two formed the group in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, after playing in the band Deep Wound.

At first, the group was simply called Dinosaur. The addition of “Jr.” came later due to legal issues. The original lineup consisted of J Mascis (vocals, guitar), Lou Barlow (bass, vocals), and Patrick “Murph” Murphy (drums). The band’s first album, simply titled Dinosaur, was released in 1985 on the Homestead Records label. The trio then signed with SST Records and released the album You're Living All Over Me, which features Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) on backing vocals for the track “Little Fury Things.”

In 1988, the album Bug was released—one of the landmark albums of American alternative rock — on which Mascis established himself as one of the scene’s greatest guitarists. Tracks like “Freak Scene,” “They Always Come,” “Yeah We Know,” and “Pond Song” became highlights of the band’s repertoire. Around the same time, the relationship between Mascis and Barlow deteriorated. The disagreement led to Barlow’s departure, after which he founded Sebadoh.

Following this incident, Dinosaur Jr. came to be led almost single-handedly by J Mascis, who recorded most of the instruments in the studio. Murph contributed to only a few tracks on subsequent albums and performed at live shows accompanied by guest musicians.

In 1991, the band released the acclaimed Green Mind on the Blanco Y Negro label. It was in the early 1990s that Dinosaur Jr. gained greater media exposure, driven by the grunge explosion and its clear influence on bands like Nirvana. Also in 1991, SST released the compilation Fossils, bringing together three previous singles. The album includes two standout covers: “Show Me The Way” by Peter Frampton and “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure.

Subsequent albums did not have the same critical impact as the early ones, but they yielded significant hits, such as “Goin’ Home” from the album Where You Been (1993) and “Feel the Pain” from Without A Sound (1994). Mascis announced the band’s breakup in late 1997 and pursued a solo career accompanied by the band The Fog.

In 2007, the original lineup (Masci, Barlow, and Murph) reunited and released the album Beyond. This reunion was followed by Farm (2009), I Bet on Sky (2012), and Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not (2016).

In 2019, the group began work on a new album co-produced by Kurt Vile. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process was altered, and Mascis completed much of the material on his own. Titled *Sweep It Into Space, the album was released in April 2021.

There Near the band’s 13th studio album, was released in August 2026. Critics highlighted the album’s return to the raw, noisy sound and characteristic distortions of the trio’s early years.