Fastbacks - Waste of Time

What this video is

Released in October 1994, 'Waste of Time' arrived at the tail end of the grunge boom that had briefly elevated Seattle bands to national prominence. The Fastbacks, founded in 1979 and one of Seattle's longest-running punk acts, were a pre-grunge institution whose melodic pop-punk aesthetic sat adjacent to but distinct from the heavier sounds of their Sub Pop label-mates. By 1994, with Answer the Phone, Dummy, they…

Why it matters

The Fastbacks occupy a crucial connective position between first-wave American punk (Ramones, Buzzcocks) and the 1990s indie and pop-punk explosion. 'Waste of Time' is a distillation of their signature style: Kurt Bloch's tightly coiled melodic guitar lines over an aggressive rhythmic chassis,…