Born in 1991 in the Pacific Northwest as the Riot Grrrl and grunge musico-social movements took hold of underground pop culture, Unwound leveled their small corner of the '90s punk scene with a scathing Future of What barrage in the brightest corners of the underground. One of the flagship bands of the Kill Rock Stars label, the band also released material on iconic labels such as Gravity, Troubleman Unlimited, and Matador over their initial 10 year run. A notoriously relentless touring act, Unwound temporarily ended their endless adventure on April 1, 2002 after a tumultuous year of societal and personal breakdowns and breakups.
In 2012, Unwound began an aggressive reissue campaign with The Numero Group, introducing the band's extensive catalog to a new generation of listeners. "It's been an amazing affirmation; hearing from people somewhat regularly saying they've just discovered our music, how meaningful it is to them," said drummer Sara Lund. While the new attention on the band inspired the members to consider a reunion, it never happened- however the idea didn't disappear altogether. Still, after the devastating death of bass player Vern Rumsey in 2020 and as the world halted under the COVID pandemic, everything Unwound came to a stop. The passage of time and Vern's absence only made the idea of circling back stronger. In April of 2022, Unwound held its first official practice. Jared Warren, arguably Vern's original protege as a member of the legendary band Karp and later the Melvins and Big Business came on to take over bass duties. To round out the sound and take the "burden of three" away, Scott Seckington of Nocturnal Habits, Two Ton Boa, and Old Haunts was enlisted on guitar and keyboards. "Starting over again is a rebellious act against our failure," guitarist Justin Trosper said.
"What about the future of what it is?"
Unwound
