Over the course of the last two years, Cleveland’s Dylan Baldi, who puts out music as Cloud Nothings, recorded and released a handful of singles and EPs. Many of these were limited edition, cassette-only offerings that only found their way into the hands of music fans once they were collected and released last year on a record called Turning On.
Turning On consisted mostly of home-recorded tracks that fit firmly in line with the lo-fi aesthetic that has become so prevalent in the early years of this millennium. The lo-fi sound, facilitated by the ease and affordability offered by modern technologies, has been employed by various artists to various ends. In many cases, the noise and fuzz that dominates this style seems less choice and more necessity, as it serves to hide the musical shortcomings of the songwriting. Not the case for Baldi. Beneath the hiss and crackle, one found exuberant hooks and sunny, power-pop songs that begged for a more out in front, if not polished, presentation.
Happily, Cloud Nothings delivers on the promise of the earlier work without abandoning the immediacy or charm that perked up attentive ears in the first place. While it was recorded in a studio, with a producer, and with three other bandmates, it is still just rough enough around the edges to appeal to fans of its predecessor. It is chock full of songs that skirt the line between the kind of power-pop that owes more to garage bands than bubblegum, and pop-punk that reminds of a time when pop-punk wasn’t a bad word. Fans of similarly inclined contemporary artists, such as Jay Reatard, Wavves, and Japandroids, should find much to love here.
The album kicks off with “Understand At All”, one of its finest songs. The verses feature chugging power-pop guitars and angsty vocals that remind of a less distorted On The Mouth-era Superchunk. The song really takes off though when it reaches the soaring falsetto hook that it rides into a chorus that repeats the phrase “I don’t understand at all,” over and over again. The song is about a relationship and the chorus mirrors the frustrated confusion felt, especially when young, at not being able to make sense of why a romance isn’t working out.
The next track, “Not Important”, follows the same template while amping up the tempo and the snotty, nasally tone of the vocals. Again, the chorus relies on repetition and, for this go ‘round, the lyric “You’re not that important and/ that will always stay the same.” This is the kind of thing one only says, or in this case screams, when they mean exactly the opposite. The formula is repeated throughout the 28-minute running time, including on other standout tracks, “Heartbeat” and “You’re Not That Good at Anything”. However, because it is executed with such a knack for pop hooks and scream-along choruses, it’s hard not to become smitten.
The songs on Cloud Nothings are more about tapping into the mood of a moment than really getting to the bottom of it. The lyrics are not deep. They are not particularly poetic. But it is clear that that is not the point. It is this slightly juvenile approach that will make the most Cloud Nothings enthusiasts and the most detractors. While some would likely beg to differ, I believe a great pop song is, in its essence, one that we can connect with on a visceral level. Intellectually stimulating lyrics are a bonus, but if the emotions don’t match the sentiments, we’re left with something that feels too distant to truly connect with. Cloud Nothings is anything but distant. It succeeds precisely because the songs live in the present, avoid the contemplative, and are dutiful only to the heart.
(Review originally appeared on Ohio Authority)
