Diarrhea Planet is an American six-piece garage punk band from Nashville, Tennessee, United States, formed in 2009.[1] The band is composed of singer-guitarist Jordan Smith, guitarist-singer Emmett Miller, guitarist Evan Bird, guitarist-singer Brent Toler, bassist Mike Boyle, and drummer Ian Bush. Diarrhea Planet has described its sound as "pop played through the filter of heavy metal" and have cited influences such as Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Dokken.[2]
History
Diarrhea Planet was formed by singer-guitarist Jordan Smith and original guitarist Evan Donahue in their dorm room while they were students at Belmont University.
The band self-released their first EP, Aloha!, in 2009, receiving over 10,000 free downloads.[1] The band would soon sign to independent label Infinity Cat Recordings, and released their first full-length, Loose Jewels, with the label in 2011. Their 2013 release, I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, was produced and mixed by Kevin S. McMahon at Marcata Recording over the course of just eight days, consisting almost entirely of live takes. It would bring the band its most attention yet, and led to appearances at festivals including SXSW, Bonnaroo, and Governors Ball Music Festival. To promote the album, the band released music videos for tracks "Separations", "Ugliest Son", and "Babyhead".
The track "Separations" was used in the soundtrack of the HBO show Animals., appearing in the end credits of "Rats" (the Pilot episode for the series) as well as making occasional appearances throughout the show, (along with other modern punk songs by both Diarrhea Planet and other bands, adding to the urban aesthetic of the show).
On March 8, 2016, Diarrhea Planet announced their third album, Turn To Gold, through a lengthy Buzzfeed feature that also debuted their new single "Life Pass."[3] The band has stated that this album is more mature and grander than their previous works, referring to it as their Back in Black.[4] Soon after, the band returned to SXSW as an official artist and embarked on a west coast tour with labelmates Music Band. On April 11, Diarrhea Planet released their follow-up single "Let It Out" along with a preorder of the upcoming album.[5]
On July 23, 2018, the band announced their breakup, stating that the band "has run its course."[6] On September 6, 7 and 8, they played three farewell shows in Nashville.[7] The band's final show was in October 2018 at the Ryman Auditorium, where they opened for Jason Isbell. During their final song, "Emmet's Vision" they were joined onstage by Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.[8]
On August 10, 2022, the band announced a two date reunion on November 22 and 23 at Exit/In in their hometown. [9] It was unknown if this was a one (two) off show or the start a full reunion, but on January 10, 2023 it was announced that the band would be performing at Bonnaroo in June 2023.[10]
Members
Current
Jordan Smith – guitar, vocals (2009–2018, 2022-present)
