Saturday night at the Tonic Lounge marked a comeback of sorts for Portland’s Mental Hygiene. In their first show since last year, Mental Hygiene has added two new members to the lineup (rhythm guitarist Onyx and bassist Mary Steele) and now rock with a fuller and more cohesive sound.

The girls pleased the crowd with songs from their album Trapped Again, several sweet covers and even some new songs they’ve been working on lately.

The vibe of the venue at first confused me. Tonic Lounge is set up like a true rock club, with a devoted stage and a huge area for the audience to dance. But when I walked in, a little bit late, everyone was sitting down at tables, politely watching Mental Hygiene rock out. It seemed strange, but as the band played, the audience gradually streamed to the front and began to dance. Kristin Porter, the lead singer, says this is normal.

Aside from playing favorites from their album, like “Cold As Stone,” pictured in the video below (which is my personal favorite), Mental Hygiene also delighted the crowd with covers of songs like “Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots and “Urgent” by Foreigner. What struck me most is that Mental Hygiene has a band of devoted fans who are more than happy to sing along to every song.

I saw Mental Hygiene live long before I began writing for BestNewBands.com, and their album review of Trapped Again was my first piece ever for this site. That said, Mental Hygiene has a special place in my heart. I remember wanting more from this talented group of girls, and last night, they really delivered. The new additions round out the band nicely, making Mental Hygiene fit like perfectly formed puzzle pieces.

Mental Hygiene has no shows set up as of now, but they are working on new material in the hopes of recording another album. I hope it’s sooner rather than later. The world could use more Mental Hygiene.