Unrest
Washington DC DIY Pioneers By T. Cole RachelA key group in the Washington DC indie rock scene
For all their kookiness, Unrest were one of the most influential bands to emerge from the alt-rock boom of the late '80s. Led by Mark Robinson, who also ran the great indie label TeenBeat, Unrest morphed from an interestingly unruly garage rock outfit to purveyors of picture-perfect pop gems, often delivered at breakneck speed. Their 1992 release Imperial f.f.r.r. remains one of the decade’s most critically praised and deeply influential guitar pop records, although 1994’s Perfect Teeth is no slouch either. But it was the band’s goofy aesthetic, as featured on cult-classic tunes like “Teenage Suicide” and “Yes, She Is My Skinhead Girl," that would earn them a permanent spot in the alterna-nerd hall of fame. Unrest called it a day in 1994 (with Robinson and bassist Bridget Cross almost immediately forming the entirely dissimilar Air Miami), but their legacy, alongside that of TeenBeat Records, lives on in the hearts of aging indie-rockers everywhere.
