A Primitive Evolution 

Brett Carruthers—Vocals, Guitar and Synths

Steph Misayo Seki—Bass and Synths

Stu Dead—Drums, Percussion, Dirty Beats

Owen Mackinder—Live Keys, Samples and Lights

Out of Toronto comes A Primitive Evolution (A.P.E.), a dark alternative rock band whose songs move between the brutal and the beautiful.

"I've been processing the anger and grief that come with death for a long time, and music became the way I release the things I can't say out loud," says frontman Brett Carruthers. "Writing and playing these songs is how I work through it. If a song can connect with someone in the crowd and help them let go of what they've been carrying, then it was worth writing."

Their 2018 album Becoming (Metropolis Records) was recorded at their own Desolation Studios in Toronto with writer/producer Ian D'Sa (Billy Talent) and engineer Kenny Luong (Cancer Bats, Metric). They've supported The Sisters of Mercy on their 2023 North American tour, toured with PIG, played CMW, NXNE and Indie Week Canada, and earned support from George Stroumboulopoulos and Alan Cross, who called them "the offspring of grunge."

Carruthers recorded, produced and mixed their latest release, the Ace of Spades EP, named for their take on the Motörhead classic. Beyond A.P.E., he plays bass in The Birthday Massacre, with production and mix credits for them, USS and Android Meme. He and bassist Stephany Seki are also members of Econoline Crush. Drummer and Playdead Cult artist Stu Dead, and Owen Mackinder on live keys, round out the lineup.

In October 2026, they made their European debut in Spain during Pro Weekend Festival. They're now deep into a new album that pushes further into cinematic territory without losing the heavy guitars, with new music arriving through 2027.

For fans of: Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Tool, Deftones
 

Management: 
Michael Kuhnert michael@soundproofagency.com 
 

Label: Metropolis Records 
Jim Smith Jim@metropolis-records.com 

Similar Bands: Nine Inch Nails, Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon, Ghost BC, Tool, Deftones, Alice In Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Refused, Marilyn Manson, White Zombie, The Kills, A Perfect Circle, Muse, Silversun Pickups, Placebo, Him, Faith No More, AFI, Sound Garden, My Chemical Romance.

Some things that were written about them: 

-These kids know how to birth an earworm. -Rue Morgue Magazine 

-Toronto’s ‘A Primitive Evolution’ are characterized by their raw, honest musical output and visionary “Alice in Wonderland-esque” music videos. A rock act that puts in effort and passion in all ways and all directions. -Rawramp Magazine 

-The Prize is born. A Primitive Evolution’s second record vibrates with soul, grit, rock and eerie goodness. -Scallywag Magazine 

-Epic is pretty much the only way to describe A Primitive Evolution’s music. -Punk Globe Magazine 

-A Primitive Evolution is something to get excited about. When I first jacked in, I was startled not only by the maturity in their sound but in the way it was so keen to resonate. Their music is easily met, easily embraced, and impossible to let go. -Bigger Than Beyonce 

-This Canadian alternative blues rock band embrace an evolution of industrial synthesized resonances and altered sampling to create a unique balance of old school rock n' roll with the modern influence of electronica... -Music News 

The performance itself was dynamite. If anyone in Toronto knows how to take advantage of a stage its these guys. A feral, unmatched energy that rips through the air and into the night, taking the crowd along with it, and voiding them of conventional salvation. -Toronto Music Scene  

RECENT ACCOLADES

-Metropolis Records Label signed Artist, with debut single produced by Ian D'Sa (Billy Talent). 

-Main Support for Econoline Crush in Hamilton and Guelph, November 2025. 

-Main Support for The Rasmus at Axis Club Toronto, May 2025. 

-Eight dates as Main Support for The Sisters of Mercy, US National Tour in 2023. 

-Fifteen dates as Main Support for Raymond Watts (PIG), US Eastern Seaboard Tour in 2019. 

-Ten-year annual headlining Artist at Krampus Ball, Opera House Toronto. 

-Awarded Best Rock Band at the 2015 Toronto Independent Music Awards.

Contact: Brett Carruthers at info@aprimitiveevolution.com