Come for the big names; stay for the best punk record of 2025. One thing that the COVID resulted in is a boat load of new projects with stupidly impressive pedigree. The New What’s Next is littered with side, solo, collaborative, and recycled projects in the past few years, and Primitive Heads certainly fit the bill, with Swingin’ Utters’ Johnny Bonnel highlighting a gaggle of the Bay Area’s most eligible (punk) bachelors ready to accept this rose and play some damn songs again. Beak Wyatt! is the most fun you can have with earbuds this year, though there’s a sneaky depth to the melodic punk sounds on this introductory release.
“This record came together more out of necessity than any grand master plan,” guitarist Kyle Lindauer shares. “We wanted to work on the songs Johnny had started, so these were the songs that ended up on the record. We could have spent more time putting together something ‘thoughtful’ and ‘thematic,’ but this is the record you get. However, we will let you in on a little secret. We have so many songs on deck, we could easily put out at least three more full-length records like tomorrow, so Beak Wyatt! is just the very beginning. Musically, we’re always exploring ourselves creatively, often flirting with different styles and dynamics. We really only have that luxury because Johnny’s voice keeps the different song energies threaded together so naturally. Since we didn’t really have a plan for this record, we’d be lying if we said we were intentionally doing anything musically, and maybe that’s exactly what surprises us about this record. That even with zero plan the album feels cohesive.”
Beak Wyatt! is out now and you can order it from Strange Club Records. Follow Primitive Heads on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
Photo Credit: Alan Snodgrass
