The Need is an American queercore band formed by singer/drummer Rachel Carns and guitarist Radio Sloan in Portland, Oregon in the mid-1990s. After issuing a series of seven-inches on labels including Kill Rock Stars and Outpunk, The Need relocated to Olympia, Washington and released two albums for Chainsaw Records. The duo's unsettling brand of post-punk art rock (combined with Carns' distinctive artwork) would set them apart and ensure their versatility. During the band's initial run, they played shows with such diverse acts as Tribe 8, Fugazi, The Ex and Bright Eyes, and toured with Le Tigre, BS 2000 and Blonde Redhead. Their third album, The Transfused, acted as a soundtrack to the rock opera of the same name. The Need dissolved in 2001, with Carns and Sloan shifting their focus to other projects. After briefly reuniting for benefit shows in 2010, The Need reformed for a second time in 2013 and released the album Resurrection. Background Rachel Carns formed Kicking Giant with fellow Cooper Union student Tae Won Yu in 1990. Based in New York, the pair recorded songs on Yu's 4-track and released a number of homemade cassettes. Through the network of underground fanzines and tape trading circles, Kicking Giant were introduced to the riot grrrl movement, which merged DIY culture and feminism. After performing at the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington, the energy of the burgeoning Pacific Northwest punk scene proved infectious and both members were ready to leave New York. The duo parted ways temporarily in 1992 when Yu moved to Olympia and Carns to Washington, D.C. (where she briefly joined Slant 6 as drummer) before moving to Olympia to rejoin Yu and Kicking Giant. During the next three years Carns also performed and recorded with The Fakes, Sue P. Fox, The Pet Stains and Witchypoo. Kicking Giant issued their final album on K Records in 1994 before breaking up the following year. History Formation and early years (1995–1997) In 1995, Carns moved to Portland, Oregon to play keyboards with The CeBe Barnes Band, which included singer and future filmmaker Miranda July, guitarist Shannon Tragedy (later known as Radio Sloan) and Sleater-Kinney drummer Toni Gogin. Pioneers in the next wave of queercore, they toured the West Coast with Sleater-Kinney, playing the Santa Barbara Girls Convention. After the band's demise in 1996, Carns and Sloan continued to collaborate with July and named the new line-up The