REVIEW: Cloud Nothings – ‘Here and Nowhere Else’

Artist: Cloud Nothings
Album: Here and Nowhere Else
Genre: Indie Rock / Punk
Label: Carpark Records

One of everyone’s favorite records of 2012, Cloud Nothings’ Attack On Memory delivered everything anyone could want in a loud, grungy punk rock record. It was raw, energetic, cathartic and, most importantly, resonant — particularly to the frustrated post-graduate generation who could identify with anthemic refrains like “I need time to stay useless” or “I thought I would be more than this.”

While technically their third record, Attack On Memory might as well have been Cloud Nothings’ debut, announcing a heavier, more aggressive departure from the dreamy power-pop heard on their earlier records.

When Baldi crafted the songs on Attack on Memory, he was the frontman of a fledgeling band. “Oh I know, my life’s not gonna change / And I live through all these wasted days,” he wrote. He didn’t know if the band was going to “make it.” And like so many of us who could identify with the record, he didn’t know if he was going to “make it.” He was writing about himself, but it felt like he was writing directly for each and every one of us.

But after landing on countless top 10 lists and playing major music festivals like Coachella and Pitchfork, it’s safe to say Baldi has “made it.” So what will he write about now? That brings us to the follow-up, Here and Nowhere Else.

If, on Attack on Memory, Baldi felt like he was standing still while the world around him continued to move, Here and Nowhere Else is all about change, which is appropriate given how things have progressed for the band over the past two years. The album’s title is lifted from a line on the closing track and lead single “I’m Not Part Of Me,” on which Baldi seems to reflect on the people who have come and gone over this period in his life.

The song boasts not one, but two, earworm hooks that make it an obvious standout single. But the song also stands out for its optimism. While the rest of the album deals with betrayal, distrust and that general state of confusion you experience while growing up (Baldi is still just 22, after all), Baldi assures us he’s come out on the other end with a better understanding of himself — “I’m not telling you all I’m going through, but I feel fine.”

At just eight tracks that span a total of 32 minutes, the album has a sense of urgency that can be felt from the opening seconds of “Now Here In.” The song patiently opens with a simple guitar riff that spans a few bars before the rhythm section kicks in like a rival sprinter, daring Baldi to keep up. Most of the songs on the album begin in a similar manner, as both lyrically and musically, the album captures that feeling of being unable to comprehend the overwhelming amount of thoughts running through your head. There’s no time for those slow, sludgy songs we heard on Attack on Memory (“No Future/No Past,” “No Sentiment”) as Baldi wants to get these things off his chest as quickly as possible.

Baldi has said that with this album, you can “listen to a song twenty times and still hear different little things in there that you didn’t notice before.” To me, that sounds like he’s describing a “headphones album,” which is probably the last thing you’d expect to hear someone say about a Cloud Nothings record. I can’t say I shared that experience when it came to the complexity of the instrumentals, but rather with Baldi’s vocals.

Drifting somewhere between Julian Casablancas and Kurt Cobain, Baldi’s phrasing and delivery is constantly shifting to the point that, despite the band’s lack of musical variation or how many times he might repeat a lyric, the album never loses momentum. It’s through in-ear listening that Baldi truly shines as a damn fine singer and lyricist, rather than (or is it in addition to?) just another angry punk baring his soul into a microphone.

“Psychic Trauma” features two lyrically identical verses, but Baldi is doing far more than just repeating himself. These verses are broken up by a short chorus that has the sudden impact of that nerve you strike to make an already bad conversation take a volatile turn for the worse. Proclaiming, “I can’t believe what you’re telling me is true / My mind is always wasted listening to you,” Baldi’s mood escalates from apathetic to downright pissed off before the second verse, while the band eventually breaks into a spastic jam session to close out the track.

I can’t say for sure if Here and Nowhere Else is a “breakup record” or just a record about learning who you can and cannot trust, but one thing is for sure: Baldi is angry about someone from his past.

The album continues along at a breakneck pace until the halfway point of the seventh track, “Pattern Walks,” a 7-plus-minute roller coaster that features an extended, almost improvisational-sounding breakdown reminiscent of Attack on Memory‘s “Wasted Days.” It washes over you like a moment of clarity — a few minutes where we’re allowed to reflect, catch our breath and gather our thoughts. It’s a fitting climax to an emotional journey that leads us to “I’m Not Part Of Me,” the album’s forward-thinking denouement.

Sure, Here and Nowhere Else ends on a relatively positive note, but I still don’t expect Cloud Nothings to write a feel-good album anytime soon. People like Baldi will always be able to find something to be pissed about. And we’ll be all the more happy for it.

SCORE: 9/10

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.