Maybe it's because they were too punk for indie rock, and they were too indie for punks. Maybe it's because their label hasn't been open for over 20 years. Maybe they were the band that inspired the bands to come. In my humble opinion, Arlington, VA's
Tsunami remains one of the most underrated bands of the 90s, with a catalog well worth re-appraising.
I'd heard about them around 1993 via the college radio station in Blacksburg, VA. One night, one of the DJs played the entire B-side of
"Teriyaki Asthma VII", my first exposure to both Superchunk and Tsunami. "Punk Means Cuddle" became a through-line for me and my girlfriend; she didn't want to listen to Bad Brains or Fugazi, but we could listen to the mix with Tsunami and Tiger Trap on it over and over again. It wouldn't be until the next year when I'd finally come across a physical copy of any of their records. I found the CD of
"Deep End" during my first visit to the Sound Garden in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It remained on steady rotation for me over the next couple of years, mystifying my friends who couldn't understand why I'd listen to this AND Youth of Today. "Deep End" is tuneful, emotive, noisy, powerful. I think it foreshadows the kind of music that would make Sleater-Kinney famous over the next 10 years.
I could wax poetic over the entire
Simple Machines catalog. Their nine-year run from 1990 to 1998 would make anyone envious. With Tsunami leading the way, it offered a true alternative to both punk orthodoxy and major label co-opting. I'd love to see someone like Numero Group release a comprehensive reissue of Tsunami's back catalog. Until then, we'll settle for opportunities like this to take another look.
Discogs
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