Show me the way hold my hand
Teach me just enough to understand
Build me a haven, isolation is key
Put me in a bubble, put me in a bubble, put me in a bubble of me
Spell me sell me I’ll make you money
See me free me so I won’t be so lonely
Confuse me lose me I’m easily persuaded
Misuse me abuse me keep me frustrated
See my talent give me value
Convince me I’m nothing, nothing without you
Your love for me is economic
How long will I be your favorite product?
Fill me full of promises that never materialize
But the intermittent praise keeps me satisfied
Keep the tether loose so I think that I’m free
Living in a bubble, living in a bubble, living in a bubble of me
I could never seem to put a name to it
Just a feeling inside like I never fit in
Travel the world, but she doesn’t care
All she can feel is that I left
How can I help her to understand
I want the love of a mother, not another friend
Will I ever feel like I’m enough
That I’m someone to be proud of
Every time I get her on the phone
When she speaks I feel so alone
Why is it so hard to ask
is her love beyond my grasp
Auscultation
Auscultation
Hear my words when I speak
I want her to see me
Auscultation
Auscultation
Feel my pulse
Hear me breath
Part of her is always with me
Moving through a fog each day
Until the numbness dissipates
Overwhelmed and paralyzed
By decisions that cannot wait
Keep my head above the water
Current’s pulling me so I swim harder
River of memories
Below the surface haunting me
Distractions I’ll embrace them
Excuses I’ll create them
Avoidance avoidance
It’s comfort that I’m seeking
Not answers or reasons
They don’t help me sleep at night
Because closure is a lie
Moments I see myself again
Reflected in the love of friends
Fragments of who I was before
Slowly washing ashore
Dreaming of eyes she’ll never see
Grief pouring through each vein
Solace only found in sleep
Respite from this misery
Words repeated out of sync
Buried under apologies
Words repeated out of sync
They can’t take your pain away
Voices whisper in her ear
While their laugh slowly fades
Hold on tightly to those souvenirs
That help get you through each day
Clothing on the bedroom floor
Reminders of them everywhere
Favorite shoes by the back door
Confirmation they were here
about
Maximum Rocknroll: Allan McNaughton | July, 2020
Wow! PRIMITIVE TEETH appears to be staffed by a gaggle of Chicago DIY scene vets, and they clearly know what they’re up to. Out of the gate, the first song sets the tone with propulsive bass and off-kilter drums driving their anthemic, atmospheric post-punk. The band sits somewhere at the intersection of SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES, SLANT 6, and SAVAGES. There are only four songs on this 7” but it still manages to feel epic; destined for bigger things, methinks.
Paste Magazine: Lizzie Manno | June 25th, 2020
Primitive Teeth: Primitive Teeth
You can tell the members of Primitive Teeth have been entrenched in the DIY punk scene for over two decades just by listening to their latest self-titled EP (their 2019 EP is also self-titled). Having played in projects like Violent End, Manipulation, Daylight Robbery and Split Feet, they’ve learned a thing or two about vigor and presence. On “Auscultation,” lead vocalist Christine Wolf sings with majesty and conviction like she’s leading a gothic army—you’ll be simultaneously spooked and inspired to join the gang—and on “Bubble Of Me,” you’ll get the same sensation of being in the front row as a punk front person intensely wails in your face. —Lizzie Manno
This Noise Is Ours | June 6th, 2020
I've found myself covering a lot of heavier music again, as that's the mood I've been in. One sub-genre I've had a hard time with over the years is post-punk, though I'm not sure why. A couple of bands that roughly sit in that field were sent my way recently and Chicago's Primitive Teeth is one of them. Their newest EP Primitive Teeth was released via Dirt Cult Records in May and it follows their Self-Titled EP that was released last year.
I guess I always associated post-punk with goth/industrial forms of music, which I’m not really into but maybe I should reassess that. Primitive Teeth play gloomy punk with lots of 80s influence and at times, vocalist Christine Wolf sounds like a modern day Annie Lennox on ‘Bubble Of Me’. It’s music is stark in places, it’s tempo doesn’t often deviate from that driving mid-paced repetition but in the instrumentation, you can tell that the band has a long history with punk and hardcore.
There’s a strange melody to ‘Auscultation’ that draws you in and while the vocals soar on top, the overall atmosphere pulls you down. It’s not upbeat and It’s not meant to be. It’s not a hard listen though and the clean elements add a catchiness that’s deceptive.
Again, this EP contains a real radio-friendly 80s vibe and ‘Avoidance’ just pushes it further without being showy or over the top. Primitive Teeth’s no-nonsense approach to their music keeps things short and sharp. Everything is controlled and while it doesn’t sound clinical, the song does have a cold feel, one that dissociates itself from the usual emotion that comes through music in general.
That being said, Primitive Teeth are not soulless. They’re just good songwriters and EP closer ‘Out Of Sync’ keeps things on track. Simplicity is definitely the key here and it works really well. I think the fact that Primitive Teeth is rooted in punk and hardcore is the difference for me. One band isn’t going to make me change my mind about post-punk but taking an act on it’s own merits, I like this EP a lot. If you want something that’s catchy but with less dissonance and grit, then Primitive Teeth will be for you.
Jersey Beat: Jim Testa
Who puts out records during a pandemic? I guess Dirt Cult Records does, because they’ve dropped a few recently, including this new four-song EP from Chicago punk trio Primitive Teeth. The songs here are dark, the vocals urgent. I love the ominous sound of the drums on “Bubble of Me,” as well as the wail and the wall of noise of the guitars. The vocals are belted out with power, and there’s a gloom and doom feel throughout the record. I think my favorite track of the four is the last one, “Out of Sync.” It has a really familiar sound that I can’t pin down, but it reminds me of a cross between psychedelic music of the 60s crossed with goth and punk of the 80s, and I really like it. Thankfully, yes, Dirt Cult is putting out records, and good ones like this, to keep us from going mad without new music we might normally get from going to shows.
Oh My Rockness: Patrick McNamara | May 26th, 2020
Primitive Teeth is a heavy three-piece from Chicago led by Christine Wolf's excellent wails.
They're good. You should get into them. Particularly if you're like me and love the post punk.
So go ahead and blast their solid s/t EP below.
Come for the chilly bass lines. Stay for the raw power.
Stereo Gum: Tom Breihan | May 20th, 2020
In recent decades, a whole lot bands have built on the cold, spacey architecture of British postpunk from the late ’70s and early ’80s. But very few of those bands have mastered the apocalyptic urgency that you hear in the best postpunk — the sense that the world was falling apart and that this collapse needed its own breakneck soundtrack. Now that the world really is falling apart, we need that bleak intensity more than ever. Fortunately, we have Primitive Teeth.
Primitive Teeth come from Chicago, and the members of the band have played in various Chicago DIY-scene groups like Violent End and Split Feet. Last year, Primitive Teeth released their self-titled debut EP. Today, they’ve followed it up with another EP that’s also self-titled. Somehow, the confusion feels appropriate.
If you’ve heard “Bubble Of Me,” the opening track from the new Primitive Teeth EP, then you already know that something special is happening here. Primitive Teeth’s take on postpunk had hardcore ferocity and garage-rock riffage and prime new-wave hooks. It’s angry and catchy and dark and fun. It’s one of the best new EPs I’ve heard lately, and 2020 is absolutely lousy with great EPs.
New Noise-Addison Herron-Wheeler | May, 19th, 2020
Chicago’s Primitive Teeth features members of Violent End, Split Feet, Daylight Robbery, Chronic Seizure. To me, they sound like what I would imagine Siouxsie and the Banshees would if they were a hardcore band. But, however you label them, this is an absolutely stunning record.
Stereo Gum: Tom Breihan | February 13, 2020 - 11:05 am
"How many bands have tried to sound like Joy Division? And how many have actually succeeded? This is the kind of thing I think about when I hear a song like “Bubble Of Me,” the opening track from the Chicago dark-punk trio Primitive Teeth’s forthcoming EP. I don’t think Primitive Teeth are trying to sound like Joy Division. They don’t really sound like Joy Division. And yet “Bubble Of Me” has some of the spare, urgent sense of propulsion that so many Joy Division imitators over the years just haven’t figured out.
Primitive Teeth are a relatively new band; they only just released their debut EP last year. (That EP, like the one that’s coming out next month, is self-titled. Maybe Primitive Teeth are only releasing self-titled EPs, and we’re going to have to just call them numbers like this was Zeppelin.) The members of the band have been working on Chicago’s DIY scene for many years, playing in bands like Daylight Robbery and Violent End. In Primitive Teeth, they’re making stark, theatrical, gothed-out punk rock, and they are kicking a whole lot of ass.
“Bubble Of Me” has an absolutely mean bassline, a confidently wailed vocal from leader Christine Wolf, and some intense lyrics about the transactional nature of human relationships. I really, really like it. Listen to it below."
credits
released May 20, 2020
Recorded and Mixed by: David Wolf, Sound For Sandwiches, September 2019.
Mastered by: Daniel Husayn, North London Bomb Factory
Artwork and Art Direction: Art Frésan
Recorded at The Secret Chamber, October 2019
Special thanks to our extraordinary producer Pickle.
All songs written by and property of Primitive Teeth, 2019.
supported by 21 fans who also own “Primitive Teeth-Primitive Teeth”
A fantastic album. I can see why they didn't continue under the name The Evens, as it's a different sound with the bass added. Coriky is the Evens + Joe Lally from Fugazi on bass. If you can imagine The Evens with a slightly more funky, aggressive sound like Fugazi... that's what you get! And there's no way that can ever go wrong. What a great debut album!! smiledozer
Dead Cross, Retox, and Qui members dish out subversive hardcore with an indignant smirk; come for the riffs, stay for the synth experiments. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 31, 2024
Knockout debut from a Buffalo, New York-based hardcore band who like their riffs sick, their drums fast, and their choruses sticky-sweet. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2024