Okay, Planet Damn isnât exactly a new bandâthey had an earlier incarnation called Hex Vision, and released three songs recorded live at Mississippi Studios early last year. But theyâve since found a new bassist, changed their name, and refined the raw power present on those early Hex Vision tracks. This week, theyâre finally debuting a tape of demos via Cosmonaut Music, and spoiler alert: Itâs pretty damn good.
According to a press release, Janie Black (guitar/vocals), Amelia Ley (drums), and Fay Funk (bass) have been friends for a decade, and all grew up âon the outskirts of Portland.â They cite bands like Devo, the Ramones, HĂźsker DĂź, and Hot Snakes as major influences, but Planet Damnâs sound most resembles that of Portland lo-fi punk forbears Wipers and Dead Moon.
I saw Planet Damn play a house show a few months ago, and was immediately struck by how amazing Blackâs voice sounded, even in a basement with shitty acoustics. Sheâs got one of my favorite voices in Portlandâitâs deep, raspy, and completely unique. Itâs also best experienced live, but tracks like the bass-driven standout âNo Funâ capture her range, from guttural howls to the sing-songy delivery of the line âWe donât have fun anymore.â My only complaint is that I wish her vocals were louder; sometimes they get lost behind the rest of the bandâs well-executed chaos, so I have no idea what sheâs singing about beyond clues left in the titles.
Other highlights include âChangelingâ and a cover of Dead Moonâs âWalking on My Graveâ that speeds up the originalâs tempo, with Black snarling over her heavy, frenetic guitar riffs. It was recorded before the death of Fred Cole last November, so the morbid irony definitely wasnât intentional. But the three inhabitants of Planet Damn are the new kids on the block, when it comes to Portlandâs long history with punk rock. Itâs way too early to tell whether theyâll come close to filling the massive void left by Cole, but their first tape is an excellent start.