Songwriter and vocalist Timmy Peele and drummer Austin Tekamp have been making music together since high school. While those initial collaborations ceased as the pair drifted apart, exploring different musical styles in other parts of the country, Peele later moved to Richmond to rejoin Tekamp, and Recluse Raccoon was born.
September 2015 saw the debut Recluse Raccoon release, Horse EP, five songs of shuffling laid back pop, and soon after Peele and Tekamp recruited bassist Andrew Murray to further flesh out what they had come to think of as “psychedelic jazz pop.” And fleshed out their sound certainly has, with their self-titled debut full-length, out today on Citrus City Records, maintaining the pace and attitude of the previous release, though representing a far richer and luscious experience.
This is apparent from the opening track, ‘Put In The Time’, a loose and breezy song underpinned by a finger-clicking rhythm and vocal harmonies lended by Peele’s sister Bethany. The track rises into something of a crescendo, showing off the talents of the guest musicians enrolled into the Recluse Raccoon cohort for the record, including the trumpet and flugelhorn of Stephen Moser. ‘Mother America’ follows a similar pattern, the hazy swirl clearing into a bright horn-led climax, while ‘On A Wire’ takes on something of a slacker vibe, the shambling drums and prickling bass tending toward a darker tone and the eventual close having an altogether more subversive feel.
Fans of Chad VanGaalen will find lots to like on Recluse Raccoon, as highlighted by tracks like ‘Dark Void’ and ‘What You Are’, something within the vocal style and layered sound granting an ethereal edge, a world not unlike our own but shot through with gossamer threads of bright white light. Which is not to suggest everything is heavenly, with ‘New Acid’ taking the dreamy style into a weirder, more traditional psych direction, and ‘Black and White’ pushing further, its creeping style possessing a Lynchian strangeness. ‘Classical Tim’ is cut from the same cloth, jazz for a haunted lounge where the house band play on forever, though follow-up ‘See You As You’ drags us through this twilight back toward the light, the celebratory horns returning once more.
Such a merry dance is indicative of the playful, experimental nature of the Recluse Raccoon sound, the band unafraid to chase various directions and tones with a near improvisational nonchalance. The album is something of a journey, a rollercoaster ride where nothing is certain. Something will happen, but who can tell what?
It’s our pleasure to host a full stream of the album, and we can’t think of a better way to spend your Friday than being led through the brilliant world of Recluse Raccoon.
Cover artwork by Timmy Peele