Cloud Nothings has grown and been squeezed like dusty, lovable coal into a presentable diamond over the span of their career.
Turning On is the sound of a young, technically gifted dude. His (first year) college-level music education is reflected in the technical instrumentation on this EP. It’s noisy, brash and vaguely poppy. The songs on here are more lighthearted than almost everything Cloud Nothings has released since. The sketchy sound quality doesn’t keep this album from being pretty charming despite the repetitiveness of the weaker tracks. Cloud Nothings is a good example of an artist who makes the best effort for their first release and consistently improves over time because of it. The album sounds a little like early Wavves’ noisey lofi poppy rock sound with tiny hints of surf. It feels somewhat misguided, as the vocals and music don’t always mesh that well on tracks like “Hey Cool Kid” and “Turning On” (though I ultimately enjoyed this track). It’s an average but very endearing album and nonetheless serves as a good foundation for what Cloud Nothings was to put out after it.
Rating: (strong) ~
Another early release from the band is the Leave You Forever EP. This EP is gripping at first with the titular song, which includes fun, poppy riffs and a bonkers drum track. The other three tracks are overly-lengthy and unremarkable, though. “Talk to Me” is the strongest of the three (it could work as background music at a hangout space), but the other two are vanilla and snoozy.
Rating: (light) ~
The third pre-studio album release is the Didn’t You Single. “Didn’t You” is long but full of energy. It does not lull until it deserves to in the ending wind-down. The vocal delivery on this track was particularly striking to me. The way the “didn’t you?” in the chorus is sung is expectant, youthful and matter-of-fact. It conjures in my mind images of juvenile popularity contests, excitedly talking about summer vacation and being left behind as if everyone did something except for “you.” The b-side, “Even if it Worked Out” falls in line with a lot of Cloud Nothings from this era in that it is an average pop song that scratches the surface of alternative relationship songwriting. This one turned out a little better than the ones on the aforementioned EP because the guitar sound and vocal delivery make up for the tepid lyrics. Ultimately, it strikes me as something one would hear pulsing over the speakers in an American Eagle store.
Rating: (middle) $
The self-titled Cloud Nothings album is where the lo-fi indie rock/pop sound peaks and ends for the band. The lyrics, in stark contrast to the albums to follow, are pleasant and full of youth. Cloud Nothings’ sound still feels amateur at this point, but with the edge of hard work and more fully developed talent, almost as if it’s on purpose. There are still a few tracks that don’t feel like Dylan Baldi is trying his hardest like “Forget You All the Time,” “Rock” and “You’re Just Not that Good at Anything”. All of these tracks are kind of whiny, but musically consistent. A lot of the better tracks on this LP have riffs that grow repetitive, but lyrics that are engaging enough to keep the song alive. Some songs have very personable, soft and care-free lyrics such as “Should Have” and “All the Time.” The latter of those two actually treads on a theme linked to a lyric on and also the title of Here and Nowhere Else, which is trusting yourself and enjoying the present without worrying too much about the future. The difference lies in Here and Nowhere Else being critical of that attitude as escapism and “All the Time” embracing it. “Been Through” is about not being able to relate to those who are unsuccessful and is one of the more self-aware and personal moments of Cloud Nothings. Baldi’s talent for vocal delivery is again expressed on this album, specifically on “Not Important,” where the singing flows like a liquid current. The artwork leaves a sweet, colorful taste in the mouth and clings tightly to this album’s musical stylings. It is as if Dylan Baldi felt a satisfactory peak with the airy, noisy indie-pop style of his music on this album because it is early Cloud Nothings at it’s best before a sound restructuring.
Rating: (big) $
Cloud Nothings strongest and meatiest album is Attack on Memory. Upon listening to this album a second time my appreciation of it appreciated. The first half is unabashedly well-written and the second half is unabashedly challenging–I found the hooks to be weaker–and nearly as strong as the first four tracks. The album commences with an emotive crescendo on the mildly schizophrenic No Future/No Past. The lyrical content of this track sets a precedent for the album’s themes: introspection, frustration and relationships. Cloud Nothings is no stranger to songs about relationships, but Attack on Memory is more mature and more insightfully immature ( the visceral “Cut You”) than past coverage of the topic. Dylan Baldi’s minimalist, off-the-cuff lyrical style shines. The lyrics on here are his most endearing and emotional, moreso than Here and Nowhere Else. Wasted Days and Stay Useless are anthems against the limits that time puts on achievements and development in life. Later songs like “Our Plans” and “No Sentiment” have clever lyrics, though “No Sentiment” did not click musically with me while “Our Plans” really did. The album art is unfocused and stark, representing a similar mood to the album’s essence. It is a massive cake, with each slice more intriguing than the last.
Rating: (big) $$
Here and Nowhere Else can only accurately be compared to Attack on Memory because there are no other Cloud Nothings releases that sound like them. In comparing the two records, the song quality shares a similar dichotomy. Half are good or better and half are dubious. In this case, the questionable tracks are peppered in between the best tracks. “Pattern Walks” feels the most like a track from Attack on Memory mostly due to its length and guitar style. With the departure of the band’s other guitarist, the guitar riffs sound a bit labored, as if trying to compensate for the hole in the band’s sound. The guitar runs thin and feels limp on tracks like “Quieter Today” and “Giving Into Seeing.” The album bookends well with two solid rock tracks: “Now Here In” and “I”m Not Part of Me.” Lyrics are either thoughtful or muddled and confusing, which probably arises from Baldi’s quick lyric writing method. The cover is bleak and focused, connecting with a fair portion of the musical atmosphere. Here and Nowhere Else, while good overall, lacks substance in its core compared to Attack on Memory.
Rating: (big) $
hang out/hang ten 