Matthew Sweet to Perform 'Girlfriend' Album in its Entirety on Fall Tour (Exclusive)

Matthew Sweet will perform his seminal 1991 album Girlfriend in its entirety on an upcoming fall tour, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The 20^th anniversary trek is set to kick off in October confirms a rep for Missing Piece Records, which will release Sweet’s new Album, Modern Art, on September 20.

Sweet’s biggest commercial and critical success, Girlfriend was widely considered a power pop masterpiece that redefined the sound of the grunge-heavy early 1990s by combining Byrds-ian guitar licks with a post-punk pedigree. The album was certified gold in April 1995, one month before the Nebraska native-turned-Athens transplant would chart a radio hit with the upbeat (for Sweet) “Sick of Myself.”

In performing Girlfriend from start to finish, Sweet joins a growing legion of artists allowing audiences to rediscover and experience beloved albums from their past, including Weezer, The Cure and Bruce Springsteen. Longtime drummer Ric Menck, who played on the original sessions, will join Sweet for the outing. Sadly, guitarist Robert Quine, who was responsible for many of Sweet’s most memorable solos, committed suicide in 2004.

In June, Sweet performed a one-off acoustic show dubbed Girlfriend Stripped at Santa Monica’s McCabe’s Guitar Shop.

Sweet’s new album drops all the requisite references that fans will undoubtedly respond to, including nods to the Beatles, Beach Boys, Big Star and T. Rex.

A few upcoming tour dates have already been announced, including a stop in Atlanta’s Park Tavern on October 9 and a three-night stand at City Winery in New York City from October 31 to November 2. For the latest, head over to Matthew Sweet’s official site and check out the video for “Girlfriend” below.