Wimps

Wimps, a Seattle trio of scene veterans, produce lean punk rock marked by garage edges while their songs apply a sharp, skeptical gaze to routine struggles of adult existence. Having built a solid regional reputation through live shows, the group issued a consistent flow of singles and EPs from 2013 through 2015, then reached a wider audience with Suitcase, their inaugural full-length for Kill Rock Stars.

Guitarist and frontwoman Rachel Ratner had previously played in the Butts, while bassist and backing vocalist Matt Nyce came from Meth Teeth; the two had also shared time in the short-lived Ear Dumbs. Once those projects wound down, Ratner and Nyce formed Wimps in 2012 and recruited drummer Dave Ramm, a Portland musician formerly of the Intelligence.

The band’s first release, the twelve-song cassette Repeat, appeared in January 2013, followed months later by a split EP with Pony Time. January 2014 brought the EP Party at the Wrong Time, and August saw the five-song Couches EP, initially pressed for sale at shows. In July 2015 Wimps signed with Kill Rock Stars; their first KRS offering, the Super Me EP, arrived the next month, the same period Seattle Weekly News named them the city’s best punk band. November 2015 brought the label debut full-length Suitcase.

Garbage People, issued in 2018, broadened the band’s spare approach by incorporating saxophone and keyboards. Outside of touring, Ratner works as a web developer, Ramm as a speech therapist, and Nyce as a visual artist.