Around the Fur

Around the Fur has been described as alternative metal,[2][3][4] nu metal[5] and alternative rock.[4] Some have considered it a departure from the nu metal sound of 1995's Adrenaline, however, guitarist Stephen Carpenter has since reflected, "We didn’t really pay much attention to that. I remember when these subgenre names didn’t exist. It was just metal. So I don’t think we made a decision to step away from it – we’ve never paid attention to what anyone else was doing. We just did what we thought was right, and tried to make a killer album."[6] Producer Terry Date stated that the band wanted to become "more sophisticated" with Around the Fur.[6]

It 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.[7] The woman appearing on the cover is Washington State resident Lisa M. Hughes, a friend of Stephen Carpenter.[8] Hughes spoke publicly about the cover for the first time during the album's 20th anniversary in 2017.[9] Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it "horrible".[10]

"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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[11][13][14]

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 (Shove It)" (released December 22, 1997) and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" (released March 9, 1998).[15] 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 (its peak position), remaining on the charts for 17 weeks.[14][16] Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.[1]

When the album was released on Spotify, it contained an alternate version of "Headup" running a full minute longer than the original release.[17]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[22]
Punknews.org	[23]

The album generally received positive reviews from music critics. In a retrospective review, 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".[2] James P. Wisdom of Pitchfork described the songs from the album as "intense, harsh tunes",[22] 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".[23] Robert Christgau was less receptive, dismissing it as a "dud".[24]

In 2015, critic Saby Reyes-Kulkarni of Diffuser stated that "[o]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."[25] 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."[26] 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."[26]

Louder Sound included it as one of the ten best albums released in 1997.[27] They also listed it as being one of the best metal albums released between 1996 and 1997.[28] When Consequence of Sound ranked the eight albums Deftones had released as of May 2020, Around the Fur was placed at number four.[29]

All songs written by Deftones, except "Headup" by Deftones and Max Cavalera.

• On vinyl editions of the album, neither hidden track on “MX” is featured.

Adapted credits from the liner notes of Around the Fur.[30]

• "My Own Summer (Shove It)" appeared on The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture, released on March 30, 1999.
• A poster of the album art was visible in the 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return.
• "Headup" was used in its entirety in the 2001 film Manic.
• "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" was featured on the soundtracks of two extreme sports computer games: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX (2000) and Tony Hawk: Shred (2010).
• English alternative rock band Muse have cited Deftones as a root influence[40][41] and sometimes use the riff to "Headup" as an outro to their song "New Born" during live performances.

• Around the Fur at Discogs (list of releases)