Exclusive: Primitive Weapons Premiere New Single, Normalcy Bias

Human beings often tend to underestimate the likelihood of disaster and its possible effects because they can't imagine life deviating from its normal path. This is known amongst psychologists as the normalcy bias.

For David Castillo, vocalist of New York City's dark and brooding post-hardcore band, Primitive Weapons, this phenomenon also happens to be the inspiration for his band's latest single, the appropriately titled, Normalcy Bias.

"In 2015, there was a big news story in New York City about a piece of masonry that fell and killed a two year old girl and seriously injured her grandmother," David recalls. "A few days later I learned that I had met the child's father at my job, which made that tragedy hit closer to home.

"He later wrote a beautiful op-ed in the New York Times about grieving and having another child, which included the line, 'But some part of me will remember: A heartbeat can stop.' It really stuck with me and made me think about another phrase my wife would tell me before I left the house: 'Remember, you're not allowed to die.' One was true and one was false – but you need this small lie to get through the day without losing it over the chaos of the big city in which I live."

Normalcy Bias is the second single (a follow-up to Keep the Lights On) from Primitive Weapons' upcoming third full-length album, Surrender Yourself, due out this fall via Ben Weinman's (The Dillinger Escape Plan) Party Smasher Inc. And if these first two songs are any indication of what's to come, their latest effort will be the band's best release yet.

Check out the new song below, of which we're incredibly proud to offer an exclusive premiere:

The criminally underrated Primitive Weapons features an all-star roster, including members of White Widows Pact and Spotlights, as well as ex-members of Instruction, On The Might Of Princes, and Errortype:11, to name just a few previous credits. After releasing their three-song, self-titled EP in 2011, the band has since worked with Dean Baltulonis (Sick of it All, Madball, Modern Life Is War) on every album, and has toured with the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, GlassJaw, and Quicksand.

If you haven't seen them yet (or even better, if you already have, and know what a treat they are live), be sure to catch Primitive Weapons on tour with Cult Leader and God Mother this December on the following dates:

Nov 30 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Dec 01 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
Dec 02 - Toronto - Hard Luck
Dec 04 - Montreal - Turbo Haus
Dec 05 - Hartford, CT - Webster Underground
Dec 06 - Philly, PA - Ortlieb’s
Dec 07 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
Dec 08 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
Dec 09 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
Dec 11 - Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlie’s
Dec 12 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight
Dec 13 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn

Featured photo: Nikki Sneakers