"First Breath After Mask" by Brooklyn's The Planes starts off easy like a jangle pop song and with Stephen Otto Perry's gentle croon, " "Hey, is that you? / Like a satellite in the starry sky / My words have a way / Of getting confused / But eloquence is the first thing we sacrifice / I know it’s no one’s fault specifically / So I bite my tongue as hard as I can try...", and then musically speaking the jangle popness vanishes and the shoegaze heaviness begins. There is still, however, that lovely swaying cadence, that of a drinking song, of an entire pub holding their drinks high and feeling the sounds.
Those sounds, the absolute sheer density of them and the raucous, pounding bass and drums as a launching pad for soaring and searing lead guitar lines is something that is easy to get lost in. The kind of song I like to hear live sans ear plugs. In the end, the sludgy, powerful musical aesthetic might feel sort of centrist like the lyrics themselves that purge the Pandemic induced angst that we all felt but doesn't point any fingers but I LOVE THAT. There is not enough of a middle position anymore, on anything.
The band shares:
[Slow and loud, punctuated by searing guitar riffs and powerful drum fills, First Breath After Mask is the second single off The Planes’ new album, "Dark Matter Recycling Co.". The title is an undeniably direct reference to the pandemic, but ultimately, it’s a song about anxiety and searching for answers where there really aren’t any. It’s the polar opposite of Thrift Store (the first single from DMRC), thus putting The Planes’ versatility as songwriters and performers on full display. It’s a downer, but it’s one you’ll want to take again and again.]
Hey, is that you?
Like a satellite in the starry sky
My words have a way
Of getting confused
But eloquence is the first thing we sacrifice
I know it’s no one’s fault specifically
So I bite my tongue as hard as I can try
I walked out
Into the recess of my mind
And I tried to make sense
But there’s no reason, I can find
And now I’m almost home
Stop crowding me
I’m alone
I’m going to take this breath
As deep as it will go
I’m gonna try
To make contact with the other side
And halfway there
Everything is going to be sunshine blinding me
And now I’m almost home
Don’t squeeze me
I’m hollow
And it gets to a point
I think I might explode
And now I’m almost home
Don’t dive in me
I’m shallow
You’re gonna hit the ground
Harder than you know
Like a satellite in the starry sky
My words have a way
Of getting confused
But eloquence is the first thing we sacrifice
I know it’s no one’s fault specifically
So I bite my tongue as hard as I can try
I walked out
Into the recess of my mind
And I tried to make sense
But there’s no reason, I can find
And now I’m almost home
Stop crowding me
I’m alone
I’m going to take this breath
As deep as it will go
I’m gonna try
To make contact with the other side
And halfway there
Everything is going to be sunshine blinding me
And now I’m almost home
Don’t squeeze me
I’m hollow
And it gets to a point
I think I might explode
And now I’m almost home
Don’t dive in me
I’m shallow
You’re gonna hit the ground
Harder than you know
The all inclusive "First Breath After Mask" is the second single off The Planes’ new album, "Dark Matter Recycling Co.".
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.facebook.com/ThePlanesNYC
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PStmPDXCwKLVAyVI60D1u
https://theplanesnyc.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matter-recycling-co
https://www.instagram.com/theplanesnyc/
https://bandnada.com/b/theplanes
The Planes are an indie rock band founded in Brooklyn, NY, back in the summer of 2010 by songwriter, singer, and guitarist Stephen Otto Perry. Since then, Perry has relied on a rotating cast of musicians to craft no-nonsense indie jams of varying levels of excellence. To date, there have been over 25 musicians to perform as members of the band. Currency, the band consists of Don Lavis, the powerful drummer who performed on the upcoming album Dark Matter Recycling Co., and Jackie Peronne, who played bass on 2017’s Wax Diamond.
Through the years, the band has chugged along deep under the surface, earning a rep for deft songwriting, electric live performances, and tight musicianship (occasionally loosened by inebriation). An efficient, well-oiled indie rock machine that has never ridden a bandwagon or chased a trend, they have crafted a voice and vibe that is unmistakably theirs, despite existing in an ultra-crowded genre. With a very small, but very loyal fanbase, The Planes have become favorites at Brooklyn’s more obscure DIY spots (Pet Rescue, EWEL), while occasionally playing bigger shows at spaces like Shea Stadium and the Knitting Factory.
The followup to 2021’s Eternity on Its Edge, The Planes’ new album Dark Matter Recycling Co. was recorded by Jeff Berner (Psychic TV) at Studio G in Brooklyn by Perry, Lavis, and bassist Rob Mellinger. A louder, grungier, more alt-rock inspired album than previous Planes albums, Perry leans into his 90s alterna-teen years for inspiration on fuzz guitar–laden anthems like Freezehead and First Breath After Mask. Of course, the borderline indie pop of Planes past sneaks through in boppers like Thrift Store and Feels Like Years.
Dark Matter Recycling Co. will be available on limited-edition marble vinyl, cassette, streaming, and digital download from Totally Real Records in the US and Safe Suburban Home Records in the UK on 9/15/23.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.facebook.com/ThePlanesNYC
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PStmPDXCwKLVAyVI60D1u
https://theplanesnyc.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matter-recycling-co
https://www.instagram.com/theplanesnyc/
https://bandnada.com/b/theplanes
The Planes are an indie rock band founded in Brooklyn, NY, back in the summer of 2010 by songwriter, singer, and guitarist Stephen Otto Perry. Since then, Perry has relied on a rotating cast of musicians to craft no-nonsense indie jams of varying levels of excellence. To date, there have been over 25 musicians to perform as members of the band. Currency, the band consists of Don Lavis, the powerful drummer who performed on the upcoming album Dark Matter Recycling Co., and Jackie Peronne, who played bass on 2017’s Wax Diamond.
Through the years, the band has chugged along deep under the surface, earning a rep for deft songwriting, electric live performances, and tight musicianship (occasionally loosened by inebriation). An efficient, well-oiled indie rock machine that has never ridden a bandwagon or chased a trend, they have crafted a voice and vibe that is unmistakably theirs, despite existing in an ultra-crowded genre. With a very small, but very loyal fanbase, The Planes have become favorites at Brooklyn’s more obscure DIY spots (Pet Rescue, EWEL), while occasionally playing bigger shows at spaces like Shea Stadium and the Knitting Factory.
The followup to 2021’s Eternity on Its Edge, The Planes’ new album Dark Matter Recycling Co. was recorded by Jeff Berner (Psychic TV) at Studio G in Brooklyn by Perry, Lavis, and bassist Rob Mellinger. A louder, grungier, more alt-rock inspired album than previous Planes albums, Perry leans into his 90s alterna-teen years for inspiration on fuzz guitar–laden anthems like Freezehead and First Breath After Mask. Of course, the borderline indie pop of Planes past sneaks through in boppers like Thrift Store and Feels Like Years.
Dark Matter Recycling Co. will be available on limited-edition marble vinyl, cassette, streaming, and digital download from Totally Real Records in the US and Safe Suburban Home Records in the UK on 9/15/23.
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