Around the Fur is the second studio album by the alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997, through Maverick Records. The songs “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” were released as singles with accompanying music videos. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in 1999, and was later certified platinum in 2011.
Around the Fur has been described as alternative metal, nu metal, and post-hardcore. 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 nu metal), 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.”
The producer Terry Date stated that the band wanted to become “more sophisticated” with Around the Fur. Lyrically, much of the album addresses topics such as juvenile perception, existential angst, sex, romance, violence, the death of loved ones, and break-ups.
The band had gathered inspiration off of their own internal issues and personal incidents, as the four of them rented an apartment in Southern Seattle whilst they were writing and recording the album.
The singer Chino Moreno and Carpenter recall the band often drank and partied frequently, even recalling random moments of writing where the bassist Chi Cheng and Carpenter would smoke marijuana frequently together and write riffs together; the two later included their voicemail of them smoking out of a bong as a hidden track between “MX” and “Damone”.
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.
The album cover was shot by the 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. Hughes spoke publicly about the cover for the first time during the album’s 20th anniversary in 2017. Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it “horrible”.
Tracklist:
- My Own Summer (Shove It)
- Lhabia
- Mascara
- Around the Fur
- Rickets
- Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
- Lotion
- Dai the Flu
- Headup (featuring Max Cavalera)
- MX (includes hidden tracks)
Deftones
Chino Moreno: vocals
Stephen Carpenter: guitar
Chi Cheng: bass
Abe Cunningham: drums
Additional personnel
Frank Delgado: turntables on “My Own Summer (Shove It)”, “Around the Fur”, “Dai the Flu”, “Headup” and “MX”
Max Cavalera: additional vocals and guitar on “Headup”
Annalynn Cunningham: additional vocals on “MX”
Production
Terry Date: production, mixing, recording
Ulrich Wild: mixing, recording, digital editing
Matt Bayles: assistant to Terry Date
Steve Durkee: assistant to Ulrich Wild
Ted Jensen: mastering
Rick Kosick: photography
Kevin Reagan: art direction, design
Chi Ling Dai Cheng (July 15, 1970 – April 13, 2013)
