WTD Context: Tooth & Nail’s Post-Grunge Corner

Puller occupied a distinctive corner of Tooth & Nail’s mid-to-late-1990s catalogue, bringing a heavier post-grunge sound into a label increasingly associated with alternative Christian rock. The group formed in the mid-1990s and released three full-length albums for Tooth & Nail, beginning with Sugarless in 1996 and continuing through Closer Than You Think and What’s Mine at Twilight. Their catalogue also included a 1997 split EP with Roadside Monument, placing Puller directly alongside another important name from the label’s adventurous alternative scene.

The band also had roots beyond the Christian-market circuit. Several Puller members had previously played in For Love Not Lisa, whose early-1990s records were released by Atlantic. That background helps explain why Puller’s music sat comfortably between the grunge and alternative-rock worlds of the period rather than fitting neatly into a single CCM style. MusicBrainz documents the group as forming in 1995 and ending in 2001, giving Puller a relatively short run but one closely tied to Tooth & Nail’s formative years.