It’s fair to assume that the current state of American politics has US underground punker Justin Pearson and hip-hop producer Luke Henshaw somewhat riled. Planet B’s debut album is a 35-minute rant in the form of a relentless anti-love letter to Donald J Trump. So, while it is a set that doesn’t rely on lazy sloganeering, its subject matter is bound to turn some listeners off straight away. For the rest of us, however, Planet B picks up the sonic torch from 90s politico-industrial hip-hoppers Consolidated and high-octane punks The Death Set and rocks and grooves while skewering President Tiny Hands and the American Way with barbed and aggressive lyrics. In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that it’s how 80s political punks the Dead Kennedys might have sounded if they’d dropped their guitars in favour of electronic noise and beats.
For their debut disc, Pearson and Henshaw have managed to attract an impressive an army of collaborators from Ultramagnetic MC Kool Keith, on opening track “Crustfund”, to ex-Public Image Limited, Ministry and Killing Joke drummer Martin Atkins on the electro-punk “Come Bogeyman”. However, Planet B never once tumbles into matey back-slapping but concentrates on moving hips and feet throughout. Like an American Prodigy, they take a brutal electronic shot at the Trump Junta with “Manure Rally” and, for their only cover, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zimmer helps to rough-up Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down” with industrial and icy synths, while Pearson screams and shrieks away. Final track, “The Beginning Is Near” is a harsh, New Beat-like monster that makes it clear that sitting quietly in contemplation is not an option.
Like Ministry’s AmeriKKKant album from earlier this year, Planet B clearly have every intention of reminding the American punk scene of its political roots with their fiery debut. In these trying times, that can only be a good thing.
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