Primitive Man return with their most crushing album to date: ‘Observance’, incoming October 31, 2025.

After twelve years at the forefront of underground music, trio take merciless aim at the plentiful ills that besiege the world around them, and in the process of doing so do not spare themselves from their flagellating tongue-lashings. LP 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 band 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. The album’s first single “…deals with some of the universal issues that people are collectively facing in terms of the rise of authoritarianism and the erasure of history. It is a backdrop for some of the more personal issues I speak about. The overarching fear, madness, anger and dread to accompany the pain of the rest. The hits at the beginning of the song also suggest a clock ticking as I believe our time with life as we know it, is about to change drastically as things are currently not moving on a path that is sustainable. The video shows examples of these “problems” and insinuates who may be to blame and who may be benefiting from techno feudalism and other world events.” comments McCarthy. Whilst McCarthy’s lyrics are a dominant presence throughout ‘Observance’, the six songs that make up the album are a truly collaborative effort written and arranged with absolute devotion. Drummer Joe Linden, bassist Jon Campos and McCarthy threw themselves into writing shortly after the release of 2022’s ‘Insurmountable’ EP. Committing to the task at hand, the trio describe themselves as “obsessed” during the genesis of ‘Observance’; the intricacies of shaping their evolving, trance-inducing sound became all-consuming. See Primitive Man on tour in North America in November and December.

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

Despite leaning into their more experimental side, group maintain a tight grip on the heavy sound that has defined them for years. The new record 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 combo record to date; even as they pick over the carcass of disillusionment they still seek a way out, a path towards the light. Utilizing a greater sense of space than on previous records, they 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, trio 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.

‘Observance’ tracklist:

Seer
Devotion
Transactional
Iron Sights
Natural Law
Social Contract
Water