Violent Femmes self-titled album has reached legendary status that few albums ever attain. Released in 1983, 'Violent Femmes' became one of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic. AllMusic states that 'the music also owes something to the Modern Lovers' minimalism, but powered by Brian Ritchie's busy acoustic bass riffing and the urgency and wild abandon of punk rock, the Femmes forged a sound all their own'.