Tsunami

Numero Group announces the release of Tsunami’s Loud Is As, a 5xLP box set out November 8th. The box set is the first reissue of the venerated 90s group’s catalog since their original releases, many long out-of-print. It includes the 4-track demos released as Cow Arcade (1991); remastered versions of their three Simple Machines albums, Deep End (1993), The Heart’s Tremolo (1994), and A Brilliant Mistake (1997); and all of their singles, b-sides, and compilation tracks. The 61 songs across the box set’s five LPs track Tsunami’s rapid evolution from a scrappy, self-taught outfit playing house parties and Chinese restaurants, to a varied and ambitious band, using harmony and metaphor to tackle love and its disappointments, mock the corporate music industry, and kick back at capitalism.

Self-sufficient and quick-witted, Tsunami were among the most inventive and resourceful bands to emerge from the American independent scene of the 1990s. Founded on the intertwined guitars, sharp-tongued lyrics, and forceful vocals of frontwomen Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson, co-owners of the highly regarded Simple Machines record label, Tsunami were equally noted for their music and their unwavering commitment to D.I.Y. principles, which established them among the most respected voices in the alternative community.

Tsunami formed in Arlington, VA in late 1990, when Toomey and Thomson were housemates at Arlington, Virginia’s legendary punk-activist Positive Force house. Toomey, formerly of Geek and Slack, persuaded bassist Andrew Webster to relocate from Austin, TX; drummer John Pamer, another former Positive Force resident, completed the initial line-up. Over the next seven years, Tsunami wrote and recorded prolifically, releasing three full-length albums and over a dozen seven-inch singles and EPs, most on their own Simple Machines label, as well as a tour CD, a cassette and several compilation contributions. Over the same period, the band logged tens of thousands of miles in the minivan, touring the U.S., Canada, the UK and Europe multiple times, and playing the side stage at Lollapalooza in 1993.

Designed by Farbod Kokabi and Emily Sneddon, the box set’s packaging reflects Tsunami’s distinctive design aesthetic – a mix of Popular Mechanics magazines, clip art, font and wallpaper sample books, travel postcards, punk fanzines, and vintage letterpress. The accompanying 32-page book is jammed with photos, flyers, and ephemera sourced by the band, documenting tours, festivals, friendships, and crashpads. Edited by DC native Joe Gross, the band’s history is retold through Interviews with bandmates, including Tsunami’s later lineup members Amy Domingues, Luther Gray, Bob Massey, Rob Christiansen, and Franklin Bruno. Essays by six respected music writers recount Tsunami’s history and significance, from record-to-record and from then-to-now, restoring the band to its rightful place as standard-bearers for the 1990s independent explosion.