Shaven Primates Dive Into Pain, Love, and Anger on child of Dirt

Shaven Primates is a five-piece darkwave, art rock, post punk band formed by Mark Elphinstone in Oxford, England. Taking cues from The Velvet Underground, Kate Bush, Tool, Prodigy, Yes, Clash, David Bowie, Porcupine Tree, and Pink Floyd, Shaven Primates absorbed a wild mixture of the 80s’ subcultures and musical influences with a modern twist that stands on its own.

Child of Dirt isn’t your everyday album. The 7-track record addresses love, pain, and anger through introspection and cathartic soundscapes, weaving the heavy, dark, and deeply emotive feelings into an ear-opening experience. The elements from blues, dark wave, post punk, and progressive rock echo and resonate with each other in an unexpected yet natural way.

Mark Elphinstone started crafting the bones of the songs in 2016, after a 17-year hiatus from music. Initially, it was a therapeutic method for him to work through a dark history. Having experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at an early age, Elphinstone suffered from depression and sickness in his teenage years. At 17, he contrasted meningitis that resulted in severe memory loss. The recovery took 3-5 years. In his early twenties, he battled with addiction from hard drugs, sex, and alcohol.

Despite the hardship and battles that he faced too young at his age, he found his way back to life, and music. Child of Dirt carries the weight of life. The screams, struggles, and introspections along with the desire for peace and love are real and raw reflections of our lives, which makes this album so easy to relate to.