Primitive Man release crushing new LP Observance
Share visualizer / album opener "Seer"
See Primitive Man on tour in North America Nov + Dec
"...their most politically urgent, sonically extreme metal yet." - Bandcamp
"the heaviest band on the damn planet" - Nine Circles
"harrowing, dissonant" - The Needle Drop
"...unlike anything the trio’s done in the past thirteen years — musically and conceptually." - Westword
Photo by Vanessa Valadez
After twelve years at the forefront of underground music, Primitive Man take merciless aim at the plentiful ills that besiege the world around them with the new LP Observance, out today on Relapse Records.
Observance will be birthed into a very different musical landscape to the one that Primitive Man first emerged into; arguably worse in every conceivable way. The overwhelming sense of disillusionment is pervasive as vocalist and guitarist Ethan Lee McCarthy charts the complexities and toxicities that have dissolved his sense of wonder at living out his childhood dreams of being a musician. As Primitive Man move into a new era, they unshackled themselves from expectations and found themselves galvanized by the notion that they don’t belong to any particular scene or movement. Within this isolation comes a sense of freedom.
Alongside the album release, Primitive Man have shared a visualizer for its opener "Seer" which McCarthy says is about "...disillusion and trying to find a way out of the dark tunnel within that. When things you once loved turn into a heavy burden. I think the record is asking the question of how one can move on when there is a breakdown - of identity, of personal relationships, and of all of the systems you were raised to trust and believe in. What do you do when there is no escape anymore? Turn to violence? Lie down and die? Deny these things are happening? What is the point of creating or caring about anything at all? Every individual's spirit is going to decide that for themselves.”
Video directed by Diana Lungu
Utilizing a greater sense of space than on previous records, Primitive Man have welcomed their psychedelic side to a greater degree than ever before. Acoustic interludes and electronic soundscapes are spaced out slivers that explode into a more prominent presence as Observance unfolds. With influences that span the gulf between Swans and Crowbar on one side, and Slowdive and U2 on the other, Primitive Man leant into embracing rock music in its many varied forms with each member’s varied inspirations becoming fully realised through the resulting songs. Recording and mixing took place in February and March 2025, at Bricktop Recording Studio, Chicago with producer Andy Nelson, before being mastered by Arthur Rizk.
Despite leaning into their more experimental side, Primitive Man maintain a tight grip on the heavy sound that has defined them for years. Observance is still a challenging record, demanding the listener’s attention at every turn. Whereas previous records have thrived in a roiling pool of anger, the sound of Observance is imbued with a new element— sadness. Yet McCarthy describes this as the most positive Primitive Man record to date; even as they pick over the carcass of disillusionment they still seek a way out, a path towards the light.
See Primitive Man on tour in North America in November and December— tickets on sale here.
Primitive Man, American Observance tour MMXXV:
11/24 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon #
11/25 - Boise, ID @ The Shrine #
11/26 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey #
11/27 - Vancouver, BC @ Astoria Pub #
11/28 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater #
11/29 - Eureka, CA @ Savage Henry's #
11/30 - Oakland, CA @ Stork Club #
12/1 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room $
12/2 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick $
12/3 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues (Parish) $
12/4 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge $
12/5 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad $
12/6 - Denver, CO @ Decibel Metal & Beer Fest
12/7 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
12/8 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada %
12/9 - Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room %
12/10 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa %
12/12 - Orlando, FL @ The Conduit %
12/13 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl +
12/14 - Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House +
12/15 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery +
12/16 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows +
12/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts +
12/18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall +
12/19 - Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry +
12/20 - Chicago, IL @ Reggies +
# with Otay:Onii & Guiltless
$ with Otay:Onii, Today is the Day & Guiltless
^ with Today is the Day, God is War
% with Buffalo Nichols, Today is the Day, God is War
+ with Buffalo Nichols, Great Falls, God is War
Observance cover art:
Observance track list:
- Seer
- Devotion
- Transactional
- Iron Sights
- Natural Law
- Social Contract
- Water
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