Cool Band Alert - Primitive Ring
Heads will bang
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Name: Primitive Ring
From: Los Angeles, California
Members: Charles Moothart (guitar/vocals), Bert Hoover (bass/vocals), Jon Modaff (drums)
RIYL: Ty Segall, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Judas Priest, Dead Meadow
The Gist: Rock ‘n’ roll never dies, it just passes out for a while.
The music press giddily proclaims “rock is back!” and then they tell you to listen to the Strokes. Please. Those who dwell in the underground know that rock’s wellspring has never run dry, and so does Primitive Ring, the heavy psych super-trio from Los Angeles (featuring members of Fuzz, Hoover III, and Frankie and the Witch Fingers) whose music delivers the primal kick in the teeth that’s been the genre’s calling card since time immemorial. Following up a smattering of 7-inch singles released on various labels, Primitive Ring hooks up with the legendary In The Red Records for their self-titled debut, which is 42 minutes of nonstop proto-metal riffs shredding out over a thundering low-end designed for maximum obliteration. It’s a classic combo for a reason, raw power bent into (and out of) shape by the unshakeable, un-fake-able, in-the-room electric chemistry that fuels all the great rock groups. Doubt their commitment to the bit? Deep into the second half of the record, the dudes drop a seven-minute-long track of distorted psychedelia swiftly followed up by one o’ those extra-pretty Zeppelin III-esque (or Tull-esque, for the real heads) folky ballads, as sweet and shimmery as the preceding tunes are down and dirty. Heads will roll, they say. Heads will bang, says I.
Primitive Ring is out May 15th on In The Red Records. Pre-order it.
Dig this record and want more like it?
Ripe for more riffage? Judas Priest’s foundational Sad Wings of Destiny recently turned 50—we celebrated it here. Jim Allen started penning a bimonthly column dedicated to the glories of prog rock; dig the first edition. Grayson Haver Currin has been tapping into the joys of jam bands on The Side Door. And check out UK groups Green Lung and Wolf People (RIP) for more pummeling hard rock with a distinctly psychedelic bent and riffs for days.
Listening Party Picks, May 14th - May 20th
Come hang in the chat with artists celebrating their record release this week on Bandcamp.
May 14, Michael Scott Dawson & Anthéne for Broadcast Colours. RSVP.
May 14, The Deslondes for Don’t Let It Die: Vol. 1. RSVP.
May 14, Atjazz & Fred Everything for 8 Days. RSVP.
May 15, Markus Reuter for Truce Live at Cruise to the Edge 2026. RSVP.
May 15, Federico Durand for La Manzana Mágica. RSVP.
May 16, Marisa Anderson for The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music. RSVP.
May 17, anthéne for Air Signs. RSVP.
May 18, The Bug Club for Every Single Muscle. RSVP.
May 19, Gazelle Twin for Summerwater. RSVP.
To see the full calendar, go here.