EVOL was released in May 1986 by SST on vinyl and cassette. The band toured Europe in May and June, performing tracks from the album (although "In the Kingdom #19" and "Bubblegum" were never played live). The band also debuted "White Kross", which was later featured on Sister. Following the European tour, they toured America in June and July. In July, the band released the only single from EVOL, "Starpower". It was backed by "Bubblegum" and an edited version of "Expressway to Yr. Skull". A video was never released for "Starpower". However, a video for "Shadow of a Doubt" was released, directed by Kevin Kerslake and featuring Gordon sitting on a train. After the tour, the band recorded the Made in USA soundtrack, but it was not released until 1995. EVOL was released on CD in late 1986. Critical reception EVOL has been well received by critics. Robert Christgau, with whom the band had sparred in previous years, gave the album a B+. It ranked number 4 among the "Albums of the Year" by NME. Slant Magazine, who placed EVOL at number 82 on their Best Albums of the 1980s list, described it as "one of [Sonic Youth's] strangest albums" and "a difficult album that's nonetheless one of the best latter-day invocations of no wave chaos." Pitchfork described the album as "the true departure point of Sonic Youth's musical evolution – in measured increments, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo began to bring form to the formless, tune to the tuneless, and with the help of Steve Shelley's drums, they imposed melody and composition on their trademark dissonance." Pitchfork went on to say that EVOL "[was] where the seeds of greatness were sown", and placed it 31st on their list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s. Trouser Press labeled it "a near-masterpiece", and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it a 4.5-star review, writing that EVOL is "a stunningly fluent mixture of avant-garde instrumentation and subversions of rock & roll." Track listing Note: "Expressway to Yr. Skull" was listed on the back cover as "Madonna, Sean and Me" and on the lyric sheet as "The Crucifixion of Sean Penn". Note: "Secret Girl" was listed as "Secret Girls" on the inner label of the LP release. Personnel Sonic Youth Thurston Moore – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, production Kim Gordon – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano ("Shadow of a Doubt"), production Lee