It Is What It Is is Racoon's ninth studio album since the band was founded in 1997. After the Dutch-language album Spijt Is Iets Voor Later from 2021, the band returns to English with It Is What It Is, something that can coexist perfectly well with Racoon, as is also evident time and again during the numerous live shows that Racoon gives every year. The singles Nickel For Goodbye, It's You Or Me and The Ones We Seek have now been released from It Is What It Is.
On the new album we hear influences from the West Coast pop of the 70s and the interplay of guitarists Dennis Huige and Maarten van Damme predominates, but It Is What It Is is above all Racoon through and through. Eleven atmospheric pop songs with an acoustic undertone and passionate vocals that are about trust, friendship, seduction, comfort, parenthood, raising children, acceptance of fate and self-relativation.
Of course, singer Bart van der Weide shares his life philosophies in his lyrics: ‘At a certain point, you are really happy with your peace and regularity and the place you are in your life and you don’t feel like all that restless whining. The urge for something else suddenly becomes a lot less, because the years really fly by. Now that we have called our album It Is What It Is, we notice how often people say that, in whatever language. That’s how it is. It pours as it pours. You have to row with the oars you have. No use crying over spilled milk.’
It Is What It Is is available on LP, CD and as a limited edition deluxe vinyl box set including the LP Live In Rotterdam and four exclusive photo prints. On Wednesday 23 October, the completely sold-out It Is What It Is Album Tour starts at Podium Victorie in Alkmaar. All dates can be found on the Racoon website.
