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 futuristic barrage of noise. 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 1st 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. 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, almost 20 years to the day of their last show, Unwound held its first official practice with a new line up that included Jared Warren (KARP, Melvins, and Big Business) on bass and Scott Seckington (Nocturnal Habits, Two Ton Boa, and Old Haunts) on second guitar.Starting in January of 2023 the new iteration of Unwound burst out of the garage and played a number of sold out shows across the U.S. and an amazing run at the Primavera festival in Spain and Portugal. The crowds were a mix of old fans nodding their heads in the back of the theater and a new generation of rockers pining for a real live noise band they had mostly experienced online. 2024 saw the band play their 1994 album New Plastic Ideas in its entirety and their first tour in Australia. Due to the success of these shows and the demand from the rest of the world, 2025 has Unwound continuing to tour in North America for the 30th anniversary of their highly acclaimed album The Future of What, and will finally be returning to Japan and Europe.
