Unrest formed in 1983 at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. They began as an improv instrumental band, taping every practice and never playing the same thing twice. That transformed into solid song structures and pop melodies. Kustom Karnal Blackxploitation (1990) was their metal-ish ode to Black culture and Imperial ffrr (1992) found them returning to their avant garde roots while also focusing on sugary pop.