The title track to Primer’s forthcoming EP Round and Round (due out June 6, 2024 via Born Losers Records for streaming, digital download and cassette) is a subversion of synthpop conventions even those the artist established for herself on previous releases. The melodic progressions go off the expected sequence and warp well outside in a way that somehow feels both accidental and purposeful. As though Alyssa Midcalf is trying to break the cycle of which she sings in the song while trying to maintain a coherent sense of self. In the music video we see Midcalf rolling with literal punches from boxing gloves and looking dazed now and again and smiling at times and dancing in place with multiple images of herself, in the end having a laugh at the absurdity of it all because you have to have a sense of humor when it feels like you’re facing the familiar challenges of the demons of your own mind. The song is like a slow cycling carnival ride with a beautifully expansive tonal arc like a fusion of the sensibilities of a 1980s synth pop artist, Kala-period MIA and modern indie pop artists like Charli XCX except with Midcalf’s signature deeply atmospheric synth work to give the song its emotional heft. Watch the video for “Round and Round” on YouTube and follow Primer at the links provided.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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