Unwound () is an American noise rock/post-hardcore band formed in 1988 in Tumwater and Olympia, Washington. It presently consists of vocalist-guitarist Justin Trosper, bassist Jared Warren, drummer Sara Lund, and guitarist Scott Seckington.
Originally founded by Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Brandt Sandeno under the name "Giant Henry," Sandeno was replaced in 1992 by Lund who performed on their debut album in 1993. Largely based in Olympia throughout the 1990s, the trio consisting of Lund, Trosper, and Rumsey recorded seven albums, plus numerous singles, and toured relentlessly until the band's dissolution in 2002.
Often classified as noise rock in addition to post-hardcore influences, Unwound played a sharply dissonant and angular style that made use of unusual guitar tones, and garnered attention locally for their relentless touring schedules, favour towards "all ages" venues and their strong DIY ethics. Unwound was largely associated with the independent record label Kill Rock Stars throughout the 1990s, with the band's debut album, Fake Train (1993), being the first non-spoken word release from the label. Unwound's wider stature grew with the release of the band's fifth and sixth studio albums Repetition (1996) and Challenge for a Civilized Society (1998), which saw the band experiment with their sound beyond noise rock. Unwound's self-produced seventh album, Leaves Turn Inside You (2001), was the band's only double album, and saw the band stylistically shift into post-rock and avant-garde territory; it was critically acclaimed and later appeared on several best-of album lists of the 2000s.
Following a disastrous U.S. tour in support of Leaves Turn Inside You, Unwound announced their disbandment in 2002, citing the bandmembers' geographical differences and Vern Rumsey's worsening alcoholism, caused by the stress of touring. Plans for a reunion were repeatedly brought up and shot down throughout the 2010s due to Rumsey's continuous health struggles, and ultimately never occurred before his death in August 2020. In July 2022, Trosper and Lund reformed Unwound for a 2023 tour in Rumsey's memory, with Jared Warren filling in on bass and Scott Seckington on guitar.
Well regarded during their initial existence, Unwound has frequently been seen as one of the most influential bands of the 1990s and has garnered a dedicated cult following since their 2002 disbandment. In 2013, The A.V. Club called Unwound "the best band of the 90s". Unwound spawned numerous side projects in the wake of their disbandment.
History
Formation and career (1988–2000) The first incarnation of the band was formed while all of the members were in high school. The trio began by rehearsing covers of Redd Kross, SNFU, and Hüsker Dü. When Johnny Wilson left the band, the remaining duo made an announcement, looking for a new drummer. When the announcement came to nothing, the group continued as a pair and took inspiration from the Melvins to do something slower and dirtier under the name Johnson, Johnson and Johansson. Finally, Vern Rumsey, another friend from high school joined them. The trio then decided to, in alignment with punk rock's ethos, take on an instrument they did not know how to play. Sandeno played drums, Trosper the guitar, and Rumsey the bass. At this point, Giant Henry was born. During Giant Henry's downtime, Justin Trosper and his friend Adam Shea formed another duo, Supertanker, while Brandt Sandeno played the guitar in Glad. On June 1, 1991, the band played their last show under the Giant Henry name, soon was renamed to Cygnus X-1, and then later Unwound. The band released a self-titled demo tape in 1991, and recorded an album in early 1992 (though it would not be released until 1995 as Unwound). In July 1992, Sara Lund replaced her friend Sandeno as the drummer for the band. This line-up would remain in place until the band's dissolution in 2002.
The group released several singles and albums, primarily on the Kill Rock Stars label. Unwound's Fake Train was their debut album, and the first full-length musical release on Kill Rock Stars; it had been strictly a spoken-word label until its owner Slim Moon attended an Unwound concert and decided he had to release their upcoming album. Unwound also had the maiden releases for several other key underground record labels, including Gravity Records and Troubleman Unlimited Records; side project Replikants had the first release on 5 Rue Christine, an esoteric KRS offshoot. Unwound and sonic/geographic contemporaries Sleater-Kinney were generally considered KRS's flagship bands of the 1990s. Although Unwound was not part of the riot grrrl movement, the band supported gender equality. The band made an appearance in the 1994 cult road movie Half-Cocked.
Leaves Turn Inside You, breakup and aftermath (2001–2002) In April 2001, Unwound released their seventh studio album, Leaves Turn Inside You. The album, which saw the band venture into post-rock territory, was critically lauded. Unwound embarked on a 37-date tour of the United States in support of the album as an expanded five-piece, with the inclusion of guitarist David Scott Stone and Brandt Sandeno re-joining the band on keyboards. The tour was beset with numerous problems, including the band being poorly rehearsed for the expanded line-up's shows, which resulted in the band performing poorly at the start of their tour, and the cancellation of their biggest shows in Boston and New York City due to the September 11 attacks. Making matters worse was Vern Rumsey's alcoholism, which had become worse due to the stress of touring; Rumsey was often intoxicated during live performances and played a number of shows in agonizing pain after punching a wall and breaking his hands following a show in San Diego, and his relationships with Trosper and Lund became strained.
Following the conclusion of the US tour, Unwound cancelled all of their European and Japan tour dates and regrouped. After returning to Olympia, Rumsey became reluctant to tour and suggested converting Unwound into a studio-only band (in the vein of the Beatles) in order to combat his alcoholism, which Lund and Trosper were reluctant to do. Ultimately, owing to this as well as issues with the band's members being located in different cities, Unwound decided to disband.
Unwound announced their disbandment on April 1, 2002, shortly after co-headlining that year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival. The fact that they broke up on April Fool's Day fueled speculation that they would, in actuality, remain together; an early band T-shirt had the inscription "Unwound 1991–2091". Troubleman Unlimited's Mike Simonetti after hearing of the band's breakup posted a quick eulogy to Unwound on his record label's website: "Unwound were (and still are) beautiful people. Unwound was one of the most influential and vital bands of the '90s, and their last record was a masterpiece. You just don't know it yet. Unwound's influence will live on for a long time to come, and they were everything a band should be: independent and non-compromising in every aspect."
Post-Unwound projects, attempts to reunite and Vern Rumsey's death (2002–2021) After Unwound broke up, Vern Rumsey formed Flora v. Fauna. Sara Lund formed Hungry Ghost with Andrew Price from the Irving Klaw Trio as well as joining The Corin Tucker Band. In 2011, Brandt Sandeno and Justin Trosper formed Survival Knife.
In 2011, Lund, Trosper and Rumsey reunited in person to discuss the release of Live Leaves, a live album documenting various performances of the band's final tour in 2001. The meeting led to the trio seriously considering reforming the band, though this was struck down when Trosper and Lund realised that Rumsey was still struggling with his alcoholism, which made them reluctant to play shows. "He had gotten a DUI and was being court ordered to go to AA meetings. It was clear he [Rumsey] was just annoyed and it wasn’t a wake-up call", Lund later recounted to Pitchfork in 2022; "I came away from that meeting like, 'Well, I guess we’re not gonna play. I’m not getting back into a relationship with him if he’s still committed to his drinking.'" Live Leaves was eventually released in 2012. An Unwound online archive, curated by the members and fans of the band, was also launched in anticipation to the new release. In 2013, Unwound licensed their back catalog to The Numero Group. They released their pre-Unwound band, Giant Henry, on Record Store Day in 2013 and proceeded to release five box sets, consisting of the band's entire studio output and a smattering of live material.
In the summer of 2017, Rumsey was forced into sobriety following a health crisis brought on by liver failure, which brought forward the possibility again for a reunion; with the help of The Numero Group, Rumsey was put through to MusiCares and was sent to rehab in spring 2018. However, after he left rehab Rumsey relapsed into his alcoholism. In April 2019, Trosper and Lund attempted a rehearsal of some Unwound songs with Rumsey, but he was physically unable to play. Following this, Trosper and Lund decided to take matters into their own hands and told Rumsey that they were intending to play shows without him, and were subsequently given Rumsey's blessing to do so. In March 2020, Jared Warren of Big Business, Melvins, and formerly of Unwound's one-time labelmates Karp, rehearsed with the band on bass to positive results. Warren planned on talking to Vern about the reunion shows, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was never able to. On August 6, 2020, Vern Rumsey died at the age of 47. No cause of death was given.
Reunion (2022–present) On July 11, 2022, the band launched an Instagram account and posted a teaser video, which was crossposted to the Numero Group's social media channels. Trosper, Lund, and Warren are seen practicing, though the album version of "Corpse Pose" is heard. The next day, the band announced a 2023 reunion tour; Trosper and Lund enlisted their Nocturnal Habits bandmate Scott Seckington to complete the new lineup on guitar and keyboards.
Unwound's first concert in 21 years was a surprise show that took place on January 28, 2023 at a dance practice center in Astoria, Oregon, to a crowd of 200 ticketholders. The band requested that attendees not post videos of the show on social media. On February 18, 2023, Unwound performed at Numero Group's 20-year anniversary event Numero 20 in Los Angeles. The band's reunion tour took place throughout February and March, including three sold-out nights at New York City's Irving Plaza. On June 2, 2023, Unwound performed at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, the band's first European set since 1999.
Artistry
Musical style and influences Unwound's sound has been characterized as "tumultuous and sublimely noisy." According to Fred Thomas of AllMusic, the band "infused traditional pop rock with furious noise, angular riffs, and avant sensibilities."
Unwound's influences included Sonic Youth, Melvins, Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard, Hüsker Dü, Black Flag, Mission of Burma, Wire, Gang of Four, Joy Division, Wipers, Can, Nation of Ulysses, and Flipper. Trosper's guitar work drew on the likes of Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn, Wipers' Greg Sage, Jimi Hendrix, Chrome guitarist Helios Creed, Tom Verlaine of Television, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, John Coltrane, and Peter Brötzmann.