Fugazi released on Mar. 11 a collection of tracks recorded in 1992 with the late Steve Albini at his Chicago studio, making them available digitally for the first time through Bandcamp. The release is part of a fundraiser for Letters Charity, a nonprofit founded by Albini and his wife, Heather Whinna, which provides gifts and financial assistance to families experiencing poverty.
The availability of these recordings matters to both music fans and those supported by Letters Charity. For decades, the so-called “Albini Session” was only accessible through bootleg copies shared among fans. Now, proceeds from official sales will benefit families in need.
According to Fugazi’s Bandcamp post, the band originally traveled to Chicago in November 1992 intending to record just two or three songs but ended up tracking twelve over four days at Albini’s home studio. Despite initial excitement about the results, Fugazi decided during their drive back to Washington D.C. that the session would not be released. They later recorded their album “In On The Killtaker” elsewhere, leaving the Albini sessions shelved until now.
The band said that while some tapes had leaked online over the years in poor quality, this marks the first time Albini’s original mix has been officially released from master tapes. “To honor Steve, who died in 2024, and to support the work that he and his wife, Heather Whinna, have done with the non-profit Letters Charity organization, Fugazi has decided to make Steve’s entire original mix officially available for the first time in transfers pulled directly from the master tapes,” they said in a Bandcamp post.
Heather Whinna welcomed Fugazi’s support for her organization. “I was genuinely moved that Fugazi reached out to support our work,” Whinna told Block Club. “Letters has been the center of my life for 25 years, and I intend to carry it forward in a way that honors Steve and everything he stood for.”
Tim Midyett, a volunteer with Letters Charity for two decades, described how each family helped by the nonprofit receives $10,000 along with gifts requested by children in letters to Santa Claus. He said this amount can be life-changing for recipients facing generational poverty or sudden hardship.
Fugazi’s digital album is available on Bandcamp for $10 through Dischord Records.
