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."