In the fall of 2025, Ryan took a few microphones and one Martin guitar to his family’s cabin in Northern Michigan. Looking out on the lake, he recorded eight songs in three days with no overdubs.
The songs themselves tell a few stories, talk about love, and quietlylaugh at life and death.
“There’s some stuff that’s just silly in a way...” Racine says. “This format kind of calls for that Prine-esque humor”. Other songs share a bit more darkness like Boston Corbett which tells the true story of the man who killed John Wilkes Booth.
The overall vibe and production is really just a quite afternoon in a cabin. An aside from the usual volume of live shows with his band the Little Victories. The full band does have a record coming later in 2026, but for now the little respite that is Valhalla Afternoon should carry fans into the lazy days of summer.
