The Racoons blend synthetic and organic textures. Sequenced bass and programmed drum loops are layered against the sound of a live band, creating a density one might not expect from a three-piece. Danceable, but you could rock out if you want to. Also: they write a lot of hooks.

Formed in Victoria in fall 2008 and settled now in Vancouver, the Racoons have developed their craft on a considerable number of stages both near and far from home. The band has played to large hometown crowds, while also beginning to cast their ambitions across a broader geography. In summer 2009 they crossed Canada with The Von Bondies (Detroit), as well as making festival appearances at Big Time Out (Cumberland), Olio (Vancouver), DeRaylor (Whistler), Sled Island (Calgary), Pitter Patter (Toronto), and a Transmission Showcase at Rifflandia (Victoria). 2010 has seen the band heading east, including a headlining appearance in the L.A. Lights Concert Series in Surabaya, Indonesia, and a seven-city tour of China culminating in a show during the Shanghai 2010 Expo.

Acclaim for the Racoons has also steadily expanded in geographic scope. The band was selected as the February 2009 “Band of the Month” by the Zone 91.3 (Victoria), and twice recognized by readers of Monday Magazine in Victoria, as “Most Promising Artist” (2009) and “Favorite Band” (2010). Most notably, CBC Radio 3 nominated the band for the honor of “Best New Artist” in the 2009 Bucky Awards, where nation-wide listeners voted the band into the five-artist shortlist (alongside Mountains & Trees, Timber Timbre, Zeus, and Hannah Georgas).

Thus far, the band has ridden on the success of debut EP Islomania, recorded in winter 2008 in a friend’s living room and ultimately re-mastered by Joao Carvalho for release on iTunes in spring 2009. Now managed by Nick Blasko (Tegan & Sara, Buck 65), the band is preparing to record its first full-length album in fall 2010.