Review: Diarrhea Planet - Aliens in the Outfield
By Haden DeRoberts, Contributor
[Infinity Cat; 2014]
Rating: 7/10
Nashville roughneck rockers Diarrhea Planet boast one of the gnarliest band names around, with a sound and style to match. Anchored by crashing drum cadences and perpetual bass grooves, propelled forward at sonic speeds by an onslaught of guitar madness only capable of being produced by a band that utilizes the absurdity of four lead guitarists, the sextet has made a name for themselves as a band with serious pop-punk prowess.
Diarrhea Planet’s most recent EP, Aliens in the Outfield, marks the band’s return from last year’s brain battering gem of an LP, I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, and offers the DP-loyal a taste of what is to come on its upcoming full length release, due out in 2015.
On Aliens in the Outfield, Diarrhea Planet’s third EP and fifth release overall since forming in 2009, the band has not made drastic changes to its sound, sticking primarily to the slashing riffs, ripping solos, raucous drums and pitched harmonies that have spurred on sweat-drenched mosh pits since day one. The music is seemingly designed for crowd surfing and crushing cans of Miller Highlife. Diarrhea Planet however, sets itself apart from other bands that are just plain loud with its ability to create a narrative within the music, a subtle aspect of the band’s songwriting that, when examined further, is evidence of the quiet genius that exists in the band’s music.
Once the ears become acclimated to the tangled finger-tapping fretwork of four guitarists all seemingly working to dismantle their instruments and the roar of Diarrhea Planet’s shouting choruses, listeners may find a record with quiet ambition–one that finds the gang stretching song lengths and dabbling into a moment or two of deeper, darker material.
Aliens in the Outfield rips open and barrels forth on “Heat Wave,” a three-minute barn burner that sandwiches a dreamy, sweet voiced Emmit Miller bridge between a couple of boisterous Jordan Smith verses and at least one face-melting guitar solo. Brent Toler takes the vocal lead on the EP’s highlight “Platinum Girls,” a catchy little number that finds Toler feeling himself over top of a handful of lively melodies. “Platinum Girls” features perhaps a bit more pep than your average Diarrhea Planet tune, a move that works for the band as the song presents itself as a nugget of pop-punk deliciousness.
On “Bamboo Curtain,” drummer Casey Weisbach uses his moment in the vocal spotlight to embrace his inner lonerism and sing about what else but masturbation as he belts out lines like, “I like to hide alone behind my bamboo curtain / I’m doing something good behind it that’s for certain,” and “Staring in the mirror / Playing with myself,” all set to a background chorus of oohs and ahs. The band isn't afraid to shove it's don't-give-a-fuck attitude in your face.
Live staple “Spooners” gets aggressive; the track is a busy three minutes long and struggles at points to settle itself into a comfortable place. Aliens in the Outfield comes to its end with the build and crash of “Peg Daddy,” the album’s longest track, featuring a heavy post-rock build up and tumbling into longing choruses.
As a whole, the record is a step in the right direction for these Nashville thrashers. Aliens in the Outfield is an EP representative of a band with ambition, certainly an admirable effort, though in places the conception is slightly better than the construction. At times Aliens in the Outfield feels somewhat incomplete, spirited, but not quite fully materialized.
Diarrhea Planet seemingly attempts to fill these gaps with glittering guitar solos, a tactic that is synonymous with its signature sound but is at times a bit overdone. If anything, Aliens in the Outfield is an EP that shows growth and is ultimately a positive move forward for the band. If this EP is indicative of what is to come down the line, 2015 could be a big year for Diarrhea Planet.
