Primo the Alien - “Beginning of Us”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Wilson Phillips, HAIM, Dua Lipa

Primo the Alien’s charm comes from her all-in commitment to sweet 80s pop music, recreating and reforming synth rock into her own consistent sound. She’s been on a roll since her last EP Heart on the Run, dropping single after single of affirming dance pop. Purposely big and made only of hooks, it’s a sound so egregious that it works and Primo’s if-it-ain’t-broke attitude allows these songs to be as fun as they are reverential. Imaginably they translate as well live as on record, so look out for the local Austin artist to keep feet moving and new ears singing along by each song’s end. (Kevin McStravick) 

2022 Review: Primo the Alien doesn’t just take influence from 80s pop, she fully transforms into an artist that sounds like she stepped off a Delorean going 88 miles per hour. She actually broke out with “My Delorean” in 2019, a collaboration with Timecop1983 that sets the tone of thick synths and over-the-top melodies that will go on to define the rest of her catalog. The Austin artist most recently released an expanded edition of the Heart on the Run EP, adding some additional dance-pop gems loaded with analog synths and drum-machine accents.