Few indie rock bands can relate to the massive identity shift undertaken by Cloud Nothings. 2010’s debut LP “Turning On” and 2011’s “Cloud Nothings” saw the fledgling trio, led by vocalist Dylan Baldi, tentatively maneuver through screechy, lo-fi punk songs that gave a new meaning to “made from scratch.”
Fast-forward to 2012‘s “Attack on Memory,” overseen by producer Steve Albini: It was as if an entirely different group, characterized by a more polished, lush sound, had replaced the piecemeal trio of previous years. Lyrically, however, “Attack on Memory” signaled a shift to darker, more pessimistic themes, such as desperation and loneliness, but showcased the band’s increasing musical and compositional maturation.
In “Here and Nowhere Else,” the group’s latest album, produced by John Congleton, all of Cloud Nothings’ collective experiences converge in a listing of eight brash, loud and emotional tracks. Within this most recent effort lie the shadows of 2010’s lyrical insecurities, 2011’s hidden sweetness and 2012’s emotional darkness – all this, but with a new and welcome twist of tempered positivity that highlights the band’s journey and what Cloud Nothings ultimately stands for.
From the first lines of the opener, titled “Now Hear In,” Baldi creates an atmosphere of yearning, confusion and desolation – “I go outside and see all these things that should be real,” Baldi sings – a departure from, for example, the more machismo stadium anthems of rock duo Japandroids. Already, these opening lyrics begin to describe Cloud Nothings’ emotional maturation.
It’s not difficult to get swept away by the chaotic guitar, restless percussion and Baldi’s sincere yelps, but in “Here and Nowhere Else,” it’s the message that counts. Punctuated by Baldi’s shattered screams, “Psychic Trauma” speeds through frantic choruses that speak to the downward spiral of mental instability. In “Giving Into Seeing,” Baldi desperately screams “swallow” over and over with the soul-clenching sadness of the emotionally fragile.
While 31 minutes of hard-hitting vocals and unforgiving instrumentation can be tough to stomach, “Pattern Walks” breaks the motif of short, bite-sized rock anthems that end almost as soon as they begin. A marathon 7 1/2 minutes, “Pattern Walks” begins like a typically angsty Cloud Nothings song but quickly devolves into something structured to showcase beauty rather than pure frustration. The subtle chord changes in the guitar solo create an eerie, white-noise atmosphere that uses the lack of lyrics to construct a whirlpool of sound. This, coupled with Baldi’s pronunciation of “pattern walks” to sound like “padded walls,” allows Cloud Nothings to embark on a journey through a distorted, echoing mind that ends, surprisingly, on a reverberating major key.
After “Pattern Walks,” it’s hard to imagine a happy ending to an album full of sadness and despair. But “I’m Not Part of Me,” the album’s closer, delivers a dose of positivity by the end of the first verse: “I’m learning how to be here and nowhere else/ I focus on what I can do myself.” Slowly winding down after the previous high-tension tracks, “I’m Not Part of Me” serves as the ultimate declaration of taking charge of one’s life, regardless of the downs, and ties the album together neatly and succinctly.
Although “Here and Nowhere Else” may seem to be yet another Cloud Nothings album filled with punk angst – a slight flaw of Baldi’s compositional techniques – the strong track listing is pleasantly fresh in its lyrical and emotional vitality and will certainly spark or rekindle the interest of new and veteran indie rock fans. Overall, the album speaks volumes to the trio’s successful search for a niche and an identity.
– Shreya Aiyar