Seam - Bunch (Official Music Video)

https://seam.bandcamp.com/

Seam was an American indie rock band that drifted through the 1990s like a melancholic fog, crafting a sound that was both a whisper and a wallop. Formed in 1991 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and later based in Chicago, Illinois, the band was led by the soft-spoken yet incisive Sooyoung Park, formerly of the post-hardcore outfit Bitch Magnet. With a revolving cast of musicians, Park was the sole constant, steering Seam through a decade of slow-burning brilliance before they disbanded in 2000. Their music, often pegged as slowcore but too restless to be boxed in, blended hushed vocals, shimmering guitar distortion, and deliberate rhythms into a sound that was as introspective as it was explosive—like a daydream that suddenly catches fire.

The band’s initial lineup featured Park on guitar and vocals, bassist Lexi Mitchell, and drummer Mac McCaughan (of Superchunk fame). They kicked off with a raw, shambolic energy, releasing their debut single “Days of Thunder” in 1990 on Homestead Records, followed by “Granny 9X” on Merge Records in 1992. Their first album, Headsparks (1992, Homestead), was a lo-fi gem, blending talk-whispered vocals, fuzzed-out guitars, and basslines that hooked like quiet anthems. It included a cover of Codeine’s “New Year’s,” nodding to their slowcore kin, and captured the post-Nirvana indie wildness with a Pixies-meets-Neil-Young vibe. After relocating to Chicago, Seam signed with Touch and Go Records, a move that sharpened their edge. McCaughan left to focus on Superchunk, replaced by Bob Rising, with Craig White joining on guitar. This lineup birthed The Problem with Me (1993), a darker, more polished effort that wove atmospheric guitars and stark basslines into tracks like “Bunch” and “Autopilot,” cementing their slowcore cred while pulsing with latent energy.

By 1995, Park was joined by a new crew—guitarist Reg Shrader, bassist William Shin, and drummer Chris Manfrin—for Are You Driving Me Crazy?, a grungier, more dynamic record that balanced raw emotion with tight songcraft. Their final album, The Pace Is Glacial (1998), lived up to its name: languid, icy, and deliberate, it was a slowcore masterpiece that felt like a long exhale. Tracks like “Feather” echoed the avant-noise of Codeine while hinting at the emo-grunge of Sunny Day Real Estate. Seam’s last hurrah was a 2000 tour in Seoul, South Korea, before they quietly faded away. Park later co-founded the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media and contributed to the score for Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow, proving his creative restlessness extended beyond music.

Seam’s influence looms larger than their fame. They helped shape the sound of emo and college rock, inspiring acts like Braid and Silkworm with their raw production and methodical structures. Their music was never about flash—it was a subtle rebellion, a refusal to rush or shout when a whisper could cut deeper. Critics called them criminally underrated; fans on platforms like Reddit’s r/shoegaze still lament their obscurity. Their discography, available on Spotify (16.4K monthly listeners) and Bandcamp via Numero Group, remains a treasure for those who crave music that lingers like a bruise. Seam wasn’t a way of life, just a band—four dudes jamming, as one writer put it, making albums that deserved more ears than they got. In a world obsessed with speed, their slow, affecting melodies were a quiet middle finger to the hustle.