Shaven Primates take a more direct route on Kill The Algorithm. The Oxford four-piece have previously moved between dark wave, art-rock, post-punk and progressive influences, but this EP places greater emphasis on hard rock and punk, using that heavier framework to explore anxiety, persuasion and the different ways control can take hold.
The release opens with ‘Saviour’, a track concerned with the instinct to look elsewhere for answers or rescue. Its 90s alternative influence is clear, with heavier guitar textures and a darker atmosphere recalling bands such as Placebo, Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. But rather than overcomplicating the idea, the song keeps the focus on dependence and the uneasy desire for someone else to provide certainty.
While ‘Pioneer Way’ is more outward-looking. Inspired by frustrations around nationalism and the increasing visibility of flags in public spaces, the track channels some of the agitation associated with late-70s punk. There’s anger in the performance, but also a degree of satire, which prevents the song from becoming too one-dimensional.
‘Feed’ turns towards online culture and the figures who profit from the insecurity of young men. Musically, it’s one of the heavier moments on the EP, drawing from metal and politically charged rock while keeping the subject rooted in manipulation, image and resentment.
The title-track brings the wider theme into clearer focus. ‘Kill The Algorithm’ looks at recommendation systems and the way repeated exposure to particular ideas can gradually narrow a person’s view of the world. And its darker, more spacious sound gives the EP a comparatively reflective ending.
Across all four tracks, Shaven Primates maintain a deliberately unsettled sound. Basslines remain prominent, guitars are often abrasive, and the contrast between synthesisers and heavier rock instrumentation gives the EP a broad tonal range throughout.
The result is a focused EP about the pressures that shape behaviour, belief and identity. Shaven Primates don’t offer especially neat conclusions, but that feels entirely appropriate here. From start to finish, Kill The Algorithm is more interested in examining the unease itself; how it develops, who benefits from it, and what happens when people begin to lose sight of where their own choices end and outside influence begins.