Written by Megan Langley
Raccoon Tour has spent several years working on material for their first album, and in 2020, they hinted at what was to come with the release of “Sofarinrunning” and its accompanying 7” vinyl drop. Towards the end of 2021, the band finally released this aforementioned full-length record, titled “The Dentonweaver.”
“Horrorshow” gives fans a glimpse of what’s to come later on the record, delivering unforgettable melodies, particularly within the choruses. The song combines ukulele with swift guitars and pounding drums, which already displays a few of the many influences that are incorporated into this record.
“Sofarinrunning” starts with a ukulele-led intro before the fast-paced, punk-tinged instrumentals come in. Lyrically, the song is a reflective track about life and death.
“Converse County” switches things up with its minor-key composition, and the screamed and shouted vocals found in the second verse add a lot of extra emotion and drama to the track. This track was another intriguing one lyrically, with the lines “Embrace the old world, smother your dreams, just evaporate like everything / Reclaim the void from before I was born, just forget about everything” standing out to me the most.
“Mt. Hekla” mixes some synths with the band’s prominent pop-punk influences, and the song brings some very catchy composition throughout, most notably the instrumentation in the intro and melodies in the verses. “Fuck” showcases the band’s punk side a little bit through the loud and swift instrumentals driving the rhythm, while also incorporating some slight indie and emo influences during the verses.
Listeners will instantly be singing along with the chorale of gang vocals in the bridge. “Trophy Street” is a more minimalistic interlude that focuses primarily on the ukulele and vocals, and the reverb effect used on those vocals is a nice touch for the song.
“Mischief Night” is also on the shorter side in terms of time length, and also has a lot of energy, driven initially by acoustic guitars before harder-hitting instrumentals really start to kick in. “Dentonweaver” incorporates some midwest emo influences through the guitar tapping and mixes those influences with the elements of pop-punk and punk heard earlier on the record.
“Nightmare Eyes” is an acoustically-driven track that delivers more interesting lyrics within its bridge, “Is outer space really forgetting me, if there is nothing to forget and no one remembering?”
“Funeral Song” is an uptempo track led by a very catchy ukulele part, and lyrically, the lyrics seem to be talking a bit about saying goodbye to a loved one, with the second verse describing a funeral and not believing in God or heaven, while the other verses explain the looming feeling of loneliness one may feel after that loved one is gone.
On “The Dentonweaver,” Raccoon Tour combines a vast range of influences to create an incredible debut album.
“The Dentonweaver” is now available on all streaming platforms. You can keep up with the band on Twitter, @RaccoonTourBand! Make sure you pick up a vinyl copy of the record as well as other merch from their merch store! If you’ve heard the record, be sure to let us know what you think by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!