Album Review - Raptors - Self-Titled
Review By: Harry Hartney
After an eight-year wait following their debut album, punk-rock band ‘Raptors’ released their second self-titled album on the 10th October 2021. Hailing from Los Angeles, the group draw parallels to great California punk-pop and rock bands of the late 90s and early 2000s, such as Linkin Park, The Offspring and Blink-182. ‘Raptors’ was written largely in a pandemic environment, meaning that many of the tracks came to fruition in periods of isolation.
The record was debuted at an album release show in North Hollywood. Composed of only eight tracks, the album is a collection of singles released sporadically between November 1, 2019 (‘Lost that Life’) and January 1 2021 (‘Good Guys), as well as the album-exclusive release of the track ‘Hunting Season’. A 22-minute length lends a festival-gig like atmosphere that contributes to the in-your-face, classic pop-punk sound of the record. ‘Raptors’ was also mixed and mastered by Jay Stolo, owner of Strait Jacket Studios, who has worked previously with bands such as Screeching Weasels and Hoobastank.
The opening track ‘Lost that Life’ features some of lead singer Ike de la Torre’s most versatile vocal work, going from restrained to bloodcurdling screams that open into a thunderous chorus, while ‘JCA’ works fundamentally as a political anthem, discussing climate change and the recent bushfires that have plagued the Californian hills “every summer season”.
‘Clever Girl’ puts on display the great musical chemistry between the two ‘Raptors’ guitarists, Marc Polanco and Casey Guldberg, who together absolutely dominate the opening riff, immediately drawing the listener in. The backing vocal harmonies on the verses create an interesting juxtaposition to the overall loudness of the record. Drummer Cody Root also excels, really driving what is an epic outro to the track.
Root’s drumming proficiency continues to shine on ‘Good Guys’, with a classic pop-punk opening fill that leads the way for the song. The rhythmic duo between the aforementioned Root and Ike de la Torre’s bassist brother, Damien, drives much of the verses’ energy. ‘Good Guys’ is an extremely up-beat track, with de la Torre’s angsty tone delivering the song’s misery-driven lyrics, recalling the tale of a break-up and the subsequent self-loathing.
‘Broken Mirrors’, is arguably the strongest track featured on ‘Raptors’, with scintillating guitar riffs, and great lyrics from de la Torre (“like talking to a blade of broken glass”). The classic pop-punk backing vocals on the choruses lead the way for a great switch-up mid-song that really gives the track its character and grungy feel. ‘Hunting Season’ contains some of Damien de la Torre’s best, thumping bass-lines that are complimented and highlighted by Root’s fast drum fills and Polanco and Guldberg’s incredibly catchy guitar hooks fit in nicely behind de la Torre’s gravelly vocals.
The final two tracks on the album, ‘Coastal Spirits’ and ‘Lighthouse’ provide a fitting closing to the record. ‘Coastal Spirits’ works as an ode to California love, and has all the nostalgia associated with a coming-of-age teen show like Josh Schwartz’ ‘The OC’. ‘Lighthouse’ follows on with the theme of love found in the previous track, and provides thematic closure, as de la Torre moves on from the break-ups that dictate earlier songs in the album (‘Good Guys’).
’Raptors’ is a great sophomore album with a really solid track-list that calls back to early pop-punk, while simultaneously looking towards the future of the genre. Themes of love, love-lost and experiencing the throes of Californian life round out what is the group’s most cohesive release yet. The band have an upcoming show November 6 2021 at the Punk in the Park Fest, Orange County, in their home-state of California.
