In 1988, singer/guitarist Chris Spencer, bass guitarist Pete Shore and drummer Charlie Ondras were students at
Sarah Lawrence College when they formed Lawn-Chair-Blisters Unsane became part of the scene of loud, noisy, like-minded rock groups in New York City's
East Village in the early 1990s. They often played gigs with bands like
Pussy Galore,
Cop Shoot Cop,
Surgery,
Helmet and the Reverb Motherfuckers. Members of Unsane also played in other bands such as
Boss Hog and the
Action Swingers. The band's first album,
Unsane, was released in 1991, and was known for its harsh music and gruesome cover art with a photo of a decapitated man on a New York subway track wearing a
Members Only jacket. The band obtained this photograph from a friend who was working at the time with the police department, which was investigating the scene of the accident. In 1992, Ondras died of a
heroin overdose and was replaced by
Vincent Signorelli (formerly of
Foetus and
Swans). On August 27, 2021, Chris Spencer announced the formation of a new lineup of Unsane via the band's
Instagram page, alongside new members Eric Cooper and
Jon Syverson, with the specific focus on performing the band's early material. ==Activities outside the band==