Around the Fur


Around the Fur is the second studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997 by Maverick Records. The songs "My Own Summer " and "Be Quiet and Drive " were released as singles with accompanying music videos.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA in June 1999, and was eventually certified platinum in 2011.

Background, music and lyrics

Around the Fur has been described as nu metal and alternative metal. Around the Fur was the second album to feature Frank Delgado under additional personnel; he eventually joined the band officially in 1999. The song "Headup" featured additional vocals by Max Cavalera of Soulfly. It was written by Cavalera and Deftones singer Chino Moreno as a way of venting some of their pain over the loss of Dana Wells, Cavalera's stepson and Chino's friend. The band name "Soulfly" was taken from a portmanteau invented for the song. While the album's lyrics were included in the booklet, not every single word was printed. A good example is the song "Lhabia": In the verses, Moreno whispers statements that are hard to decipher. There is also one verse missing from the song "Headup".
The album cover was shot by photographer Rick Kosick during a late-night party in Seattle where the band was recording. Upon seeing the candid photo of a woman, the band decided that they wanted to use it as the album cover. Kosick was unsure who the woman was, so the band had to find and track her down to obtain permission to use the photo, which she eventually granted. The woman appearing on the cover is Lisa M. Hughes, a friend of Stephen Carpenter. Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it "horrible".
"When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with," said Moreno in a 1998 interview with Chart magazine. However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio. The band expanded its sound, spending more time with producer Terry Date, and giving more thought to the album's production. Abe Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types of snare drums on almost every track. The album was praised for its loud-soft dynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals, and the strong rhythm section grooves created by Cunningham and bassist Chi Cheng.

Release

The album was highly anticipated, and propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer " and "Be Quiet and Drive ". The album's title track was also released as a promotional single.
Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 29, remaining on the charts for 17 weeks. Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.
When the album was released on Spotify, it contained an alternate version of "Headup" running a full minute longer than the original release.

Touring

In May 1997, while Around the Fur was in the process of being recorded, the band performed two concerts at Bojangles in Sacramento. These were their first shows since December 1996, with the band debuting several Around the Fur songs that were still in the demo stages. Their next performance was on September 11, 1997 at The Press Club in San Francisco. This concert saw the debut of live staples "Be Quiet and Drive " and "My Own Summer ". Following the album's release in October 1997, Deftones toured North America/Europe with Sacramento bands Far and Will Haven. The tour continued into early 1998. Later in 1998, they made appearances at the Warped Tour, Pinkpop Festival, Roskilde Festival and Ozzfest, as well as releasing a live EP on April 10, 1998. In September 1998, Deftones toured with Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were playing their first shows in over 6 years with guitarist John Frusciante.

Critical reception

The album generally received positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Deftones tap into the same alternative metal vibe as Korn and L7, and while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound, Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own". James P. Wisdom of Pitchfork described the songs from the album as "intense, harsh tunes", while Punknews.org thought that the album "showcased a band aware of their flaws, structure and lyrical approach, and thus achieved an overall great improvement in said areas".
In 2015, critic Saby Reyes-Kulkarni of Diffuser stated that "n their landmark second album, Deftones infused elements of new wave and shoegaze to define their future direction. Alt-metal would never be the same." Reyes-Kulkarni observed that the album "captures the first full blossoming of the duality that has come to define the Sacramento quintet’s musical identity" and "set a new standard for ’90s alt-metal and opened doors to what’s possible when bands find the motivation to get heavy away from the brutish impulses that typically drive aggressive music." He further noted that, while the album "sounds undeniably thicker and heavier" than the band's debut album Adrenaline, Chino Moreno's new wave and post-punk influences became increasingly evident: "On Around the Fur, Moreno’s love of new wave groups like Depeche Mode and The Cure began to rear its head in earnest."
Louder Sound included it as one of the ten best albums released in 1997. They also listed it as being one of the best metal albums released between 1996 and 1997. When Consequence of Sound ranked the eight albums Deftones had released as of 2020, Around the Fur was placed at number four.

Track listing

All songs written by Deftones, except "Headup" by Deftones and Max Cavalera.
Adapted credits from the liner notes of Around the Fur.

Band members

;Album
Chart Peak
position
Dutch Albums Chart99
Finnish Albums Chart32
French Albums Chart41
German Albums Chart24
UK Albums Chart56
The Billboard 20029
Top Heatseekers1

;Singles

Certifications

Other media and cultural references