With ‘90s nostalgia now churning furiously, it feels as if the tale of the Pacific Northwest rock scene of the early ’90s has been set in stone. It goes Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana… and that’s about it. Of course, that’s only a fraction of the story, and truth be told, common knowledge of the Seattle scene was off-base even back in the day. As time goes on, much of what really happened gets forgotten or brushed under the rug in favor of a grand unifying tale. What has been neglected is how many interesting bands were flying under the radar at the same time these now household names were crashing into the mainstream.

One of those bands was Unwound. Hailing from Tumwater, Washington, but operating in nearby Olympia, the post-hardcore trio, featuring vocalist and guitarist Justin Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Sara Lund, made its debut with 1993’s Fake Train. The band subsequently recorded five studio albums, scattered singles, and a clutch of live releases before calling it a day in 2002. But every band has a beginning, and the three-disc Numero Group boxset Kid Is Gone takes a comprehensive look at the band’s early days.

If the story of Unwound was a movie, Kid Is Gone would be the prequel. The boxset follows the band from their formation of not-quite bands like Supertanker, Giant Henry, and Cygnus X-1 to finally starting Unwound in 1991. Lund wasn’t originally in the picture; the original drummer was Trosper’s childhood friend Brandt Sandeno. (Lund met the band while taking a photo for their first 7-inch and took over the drums when Sandeno left in 1992.) The set covers the band’s recordings preceding Fake Train, a mixture of 7-inch releases, cassette demos, live sets, and a shelved debut album.

Kid Is Gone is broken up into three LPs/parts: Caterpillar, which covers the self-titled demo, their Kill Rock Stars  compilation contribution, and the “Caterpillar” 7-inch and other singles; Unwound, which is the shelved self-titled debut album that was eventually released in 1995, the “Kandy Korn Ritual” 7-inch, and an unreleased song; and Chant of Vengeance, a collection of live tracks from the spring of ’92.

The potential problem with riffling through a band’s archives is that the findings may be more of historical interest than being actually an enjoyable listen. With the six sides of Kid Is Gone, that’s not the case. On Caterpillar, it’s very clear that even in its earliest moments the band was dialed in and focused on what they were about. While the more art-damaged touches of later records aren’t in evidence, the muscularity and viscous attack are on full display. It’s striking at how immediate everything sounds. It’s as if the magnetic tape could barely contain what was being recorded on it. The majority of the Unwound disc has been released, but in a chronological context here it makes more sense. Because the record was shelved when Sandeno left the band and not released until the Lund version of the band had three albums out, it was more of an interesting side note. Here, it’s a signpost to where the band might have gone.

The last part of the set, Chant of Vengeance, might be geared toward fanatics, but it’s the final piece of the puzzle. Half of it is taken from a live set for community radio station KAOS and the other half was recorded at a basement show. If you want the complete picture of Unwound’s beginnings, its on ragged display here along with some college radio banter from the broadcast that’s priceless. The band’s angular, Sonic Youth–esque playing still seems like it’s from another planet almost 21 years later.

For anyone interested in digging deeper than Unwound’s bullet points, Kid Is Gone is an excellent addition to the conversation. And as always, Numero Group’s meticulous liner notes go beyond just relating the band’s history to paint a vivid picture of the Olympia scene, the formation of Kill Rock Stars, the inaugural International Pop Underground Convention, and many of the various players. As such, Kid Is Gone is an important look at a nearly forgotten rock history.