While things were a little more testosterone-fueled in the Northwest, over on the other coast, a different music scene was coalescing in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. This split 7” single (#39 in the Sub Pop Singles Club) boasted two of the tri-states’ best. Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson not only led the band Tsunami, but they also ran the fiercely-DIY indie label Simple Machines. (They didn’t just talk the talk; they printed 8,000 copies of the Simple Machines Mechanic’s Guide, a 20+ page zine on how you could start your own record label, too.) Velocity Girl were just taking off at the time of this release. Formed in 1989, they soon swapped vocalist Bridget Cross (of Unrest; see #SP103) for current-Seattleite Sarah Shannon, who now fronts “kindiependent” local band The Not-Its – and this single led to the band releasing their debut full-length with Sub Pop. More on that later. Limited edition pressing of 4,000 copies on strawberry pink vinyl.

-Janice Headley, courtesy of KEXP