EVOL is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Released in May 1986, EVOL was Sonic Youth’s first album on SST Records, and also their first to feature drummer Steve Shelley, who would remain a member of the band until their dissolution in 2011.
By this point, the band had developed a cult following in the underground American music scene, but their style had begun to evolve from their earliest recordings. In retrospective reviews, critics cite EVOL as marking Sonic Youth’s transition from their no wave roots toward a more pop-influenced sensibility, with Shelley's drumming style a key aspect of this change. Bassist Kim Gordon has referred to it as the band’s “goth record.”
The album has been widely acclaimed since its release. Pitchfork has praised the album, saying that EVOL "was where the seeds of greatness were sown", and placed the album 31st on their "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s" list, alongside Sonic Youth's next two albums, Sister and Daydream Nation, which ranked 14th and first, respectively.
