The Spits

Formed in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and later relocated to Seattle, The Spits have developed since the 1990s a raw punk rock that blends garage punk, a terse, driving tempo and minimalist keyboards close to synthpunk. The Spits' sound remains deliberately rough, direct and unadorned, with short songs, hammered choruses and a lo-fi aesthetic rooted in North American punk and DIY circuits. The band's trajectory includes several independent labels—Nickel & Dime, Slovenly, Dirtnap, Thriftstore and In the Red—and a series of splits, notably with The Briefs and NOFX. On record, The Spits have released six officially eponymous albums, often informally distinguished as 1, 2, 3, 4, V and VI, issued between 2000 and 2020. Centered on Sean Wood and Erin Wood, the lineup has undergone numerous changes while maintaining the same musical direction: punk urgency, absurdist humor and low-budget science fiction. On stage, The Spits are also associated with offbeat imagery and costumes that extend their taste for a deliberately primitive, confrontational punk.