Laura Ballance

Despite her hyperacusis and announcement that she will no longer be touring with the band, she has remained in Superchunk since 1989. Their latest album is Wild Loneliness, released in February 2022.^[5]

In 1989, Ballance alongside her bandmate Mac McCaughan, founded Merge Records for releases from Superchunk and similar artists.^[6] Ballance has also contributed to the book Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records (2009) with Mac McCaughan and John Cook.^[7] She left the record label in 2025 after over 35 years of being a co-owner.^[8]

Ballance has described herself as an introvert as a child, who found punk music as a teenager through a music video by Adam and the Ants.^[9] Ballance lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and dog.