Primus – “The Seven”

Primus – “The Seven”

The endlessly wiggy, Zappa-damaged Bay Area trio Primus released the Willy Wonka tribute album Primus & The Chocolate Factory With The Fungi Ensemble in 2014, but it’s been six years since Green Naugahyde, their last original LP. So fans of spiky slap-bass and lyrical surreality will be happy to learnt that Primus are coming back this fall with a new album called The Desaturating Seven.

According to a press release, the album is based on a children’s book that frontman Les Claypool used to read to his kids; it told the story of seven goblins who stole all the color out of the world. And it’s the first album of new music since 1995 that features all three original members of Primus. The band has shared the album’s first single “The Seven,” and it’s an off-kilter lurch that’s not too far off from what the band was putting on its ’90s records. Take a listen below.

Of the new album, Claypool says:

Many years ago when my children were little kidlets scurrying around the place wreaking havoc and whatnot till it was time for bed and book time, my wife turned them on to a book called The Rainbow Goblins by Ul De Rico. The dark imagery and beauty of the art struck me immediately and I thought, “This would make good fodder for a piece of music.” The use of color and darkness both in the paintings and the writing was compelling and now, near two decades later, the metaphor of greed, gluttony and deceit vs unity of the masses is eerily relevant. I brought the notion to the Primus guys and they were all for it. Plus, I figured it’s about time someone brought “Goblin Rock” back to the fold.

The Desaturating Seven is out 9/29 on ATO.

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