In the early 1980s, J Mascis and Deep Wound vocalist Charlie Nakajima lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, and attended the same high school. In 1982, guitarist Lou Barlow met Scott Helland at the Oi! singles bin in a local record shop. Soon after, Scott posted a flier looking for musicians who were influenced by bands such as Anti-Pasti and Discharge. Mascis responded to the ad and was driven by his father to Lou Barlow's place in Westfield for an audition. Although the band already had a singer, Mascis convinced them to replace him with Charlie, and Deep Wound's line-up was complete. The band quickly recorded a demo cassette and began to play shows in Boston with local hardcore bands such as SSD, The F.U.'s, Jerry's Kids, etc. and often opened for hardcore punk bands playing in Western Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, the band recorded its self-titled EP, released on Radiobeat Records, and contributed two tracks to Gerard Cosloy's Bands That Could Be God compilation. Studio recordings of a later session with Gerard singing have apparently been lost.
