song premiere: "Lightning Bolt" - Recluse Racoon

song premiere: "Lightning Bolt" - Recluse Racoon
photo: Bethany Peele

photo: Bethany Peele

words: Gordon Phillips

Richmond, Virginia’s Recluse Raccoon is not afraid to groove. A tight snare drum and milky bass line lay the sultry foundation for “Lightning Bolt,” the latest single off the trio’s upcoming self-titled LP.


Vocalist Timmy Peele’s airy harmonies glide over churning electric guitars and a plodding floor tom through the song’s verses, alternating off and on with a falsetto hook.  A dynamic bridge section, largely informed by Austin Tekamp’s boisterous drum set performance, sees the band unloading layers of ascending distorted guitar squall (and even a piano climb) before the track’s ultimate release. Checking in at a palatable 2:51 runtime, “Lightning Bolt” covers a satisfying range of sonic diversity while remaining a musical, cohesive and intuitive sampling of the record to come.


Recluse Raccoon’s new album is out October 5th via Citrus City Records.