The Primitons (the name was meant to be an abbreviation of "Primitive Tones") were formed in Birmingham, Alabama in 1984 by guitarist and vocalist Mats Roden and drummer and accordionist Leif Bondarenko, who had previously worked together in the band Jim Bob & the Leisure Suits. Teaming with bassist Brad Dorset, who studied alongside Roden at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, the group began playing locally and wrote songs in collaboration with Stephanie Truelove Wright, a lyricist who didn't perform with the group.
