I was lucky to pick up a copy of the band's self-titled 7", of which only a few hundred copies were pressed, at a show in 1994. It was unforgettable from the first spin. Not only was it the first time I heard Bessie Smith — whose brokenhearted pleadings, sampled from an old, crackling recording, aptly prefix the record's first and third songs, “Aren't You, Angel?” and “Angry Son” (titled “Woolworm” on Giving Birth To Thunder) — it also forever broadened the scope of what music could express and changed my perception of what punk and hardcore music could sound like.

Attempting to characterize the music he made with Indian Summer for episode 101 of the Washed Up Emo podcast, Seth Nanaa remarked, "We didn't sound like anybody." A quarter-century later, and after countless attempts by lesser indie bands to emulate their formula, Giving Birth To Thunder proves they still don't.