Mining Veruca Salt : Since indie hit ‘Seether,’ the Chicago band has become an industry darling.

“I think people just expect us to be larger than life and as good as Led Zeppelin,” says Louise Post, co-leader of the Chicago rock group Veruca Salt. Her comment is a sarcastic reaction to all the hype that her band has generated since its indie-label single, “Seether,” hit college radio last March.

“Led Zeppelin?” says the 27-year-old singer-guitarist. “No problem!”

Though hardly world-famous yet, Veruca Salt is the latest name to be dropped in nauseatingly hip clubs and at catered industry functions.

The prefab buzz came from early chatter in the underground rock world, which in turn caught the ear of college radio deejays, who began playing the quartet’s single. It also helped that the band had the proper indie credentials to woo image-conscious fans. It has independent label du jour Minty Fresh behind it, and has worked with producer Brad Wood of Liz Phair fame.

From there, major labels took the bait and a heavy-duty bidding war ensued, resulting in Veruca Salt signing on at Geffen Records less than two months after its debut album, “American Thighs,” was released by Minty Fresh.

But how substantial is the group with the scratchy-sweet pop hit and the bandwagon praise?

On “Seether,” with its pure, high vocals and catchy rhythm, the group straddles the line between one-hit-wonderdom and deeper, edgy artistry. But listeners who check out the album will find some real substance. The songs, which pit the crystalline vocals of Post and second guitarist Nina Gordon against churning, fuzzy guitar are angry, passive, intense and perfectly bittersweet.

So despite being the latest novelty to be pulled from the indie-rock hat, Veruca Salt actually deserves some respect.

“The attention’s overwhelming and flattering,” says Post, whose band also includes drummer Jim Shapiro (Gordon’s brother) and bassist Steve Lack. “But someone once said, ‘You may have the red carpet going in, but don’t think you have it going out.’ I think that depends on how people respond to our music, not the industry.”

The band started in 1992 in Chicago’s Wicker Park area when Gordon and Post were introduced by a mutual friend.

“We considered our sound dreamy and ethereal until Jim started playing drums,” says Post. “He took it to a new level. He’s very hard-hitting.”

Post has pulled some of the sonic inspiration that drives Veruca Salt from bands such as Irish “dream-pop” band My Bloody Valentine.

“They made a big impact on me because they played the voice over a big heavy wall of guitar,” she says. “It was intriguing and liberating because I wasn’t aware I could actually be heard over guitars, being that I have a soft voice. They made me realize it was possible.” At the moment, music has become secondary to the band, which for the past few months has been tied up dealing with the landslide of attention. “Our lives have been turned upside-down dealing with the business end of things,” Post says. “Now we’re just trying to get back to basics and work on becoming a better band. I’m glad all that industry stuff is over.”

For now, Veruca Salt (named after a character in the children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) can slip back into a more low-profile role as it opens for the highly touted Hole in San Diego on Tuesday and in L.A. on Wednesday. But Post knows that there’s still plenty of career tension to come.

“The pressure is not scary to me,” she says. “I can’t wait till the next record. I just want to make it! I want to have a serious career beyond all this. I want this band to be doing this in 10 years.”

* Veruca Salt opens for Hole on Tuesday at SOMA, 5305 Metro St., San Diego, 8 p.m. $10. (619) 239-7662. Also Wednesday at the Hollywood Palladium, 6250 Sunset Blvd., 7:30 p.m. Sold out. (213) 962-7600.