Cloud Nothings

If Cloud Nothings isn't the phoenix that has risen from the ashes of 90s emo then I don't know what band is. They have perfected a sound that revels in cathartic release, uncertainty, hyper analytical introspection and adolescent angst. However frontman Dylan Baldi's vision wasn't always caught up in the doom and gloom expressed throughout his last two albums. Most of his music was power-pop bedroom recordings. They didn't make quite the impact as the albums "Attack On Memory" and "Here and Nowhere Else", but they still proved to be solid records. Listening to the carefree nature of Cloud Nothings' early recordings and the self-deprecating lyrics heard on their later releases which features lines such as "I Need Time to Stay Useless", one is likely to conjure images of some type of slacker band. Don't let this fool you. Like many of their predecessors who where unjustly endowed with this description (think of Beck and Nirvana), they proved their worth by putting out release after release and polished their skills as live performers going on non-stop tours. No matter the size of the venue or crowd, each time Cloud Nothings enters on the stage they put on a performance like their lives depended on it. They have performed in front of thousands of people in Japan with a mass of fans sining their lyrics back at them, they have played hole in the wall venues and have even played local record stores.
I saw them in a midsize venue in Athens called the Georgia Theatre. Though the venue was not packed out everyone at the show was completely invested in the show. The balcony was shut down with only the floor remaining open. Everyone in the venue was pressed up against the stage eagerly anticipating the performance. Cloud Nothings warmed up the crowd with two of their most recent tracks "Quieter Today" and "Now Hear In". By the time they got to the third track of the night "Stay Useless" the crowd lost it and the whole floor turned into a mosh pit. Things did not slow down from there. People were throwing beers, dancing and belting out the lyrics throughout the show. Cloud Nothings played nearly every song you could hope to hear. They played their noisy post-hardcore themed "Separation" and "I'm Not Part of Me" which sounds like a demented Strokes' song. They ended the set with the anthemic "Wasted Days". There wasn't much banter on the stage; however the members were very polite and most importantly wasted no time in giving an excellent delivery of music.

When they dropped their third LP, Attack on Memory, in January of 2012, Cleveland trio Cloud Nothings cemented their position as one of indie rock’s most exciting prospects, but I’m still not convinced that anybody really saw April’s Here and Nowhere Else coming. Put simply, it’s one of the records of the year; an absolutely furious half-hour exercise in channeling raw punk energy into a straightforward rock and roll template. Veteran producer John Congleton sat behind the desk on the sessions, but frankly, I’m not sure anybody else was needed; between the three of them, Cloud Nothings poured more than enough vigour into the album. Needless to say, it’s a joy to behold live, especially when the band tap into the progressive stylings of the seven-minute-plus ‘Pattern Walks’ or the breezy-then-aggressive ‘Psychic Trauma’. Frontman Dylan Baldi’s delightfully unrefined vocal style comes to the fore on stage, but the real star is the drummer, Jayson Gerycz, who plays with such unbridled ferocity that at points, you wonder if he’s going to generate enough energy to send himself into orbit. Mark my words when I say that Here and Nowhere Else is going to go down as a classic of the genre; you should catch Cloud Nothings live while you can, because if they carry on at this pace, they won’t be playing intimate rooms for much longer.

Regularly blowing speaker stacks and causing outbreaks of crowd surfing wherever they go, Ohio’s Cloud Nothings are a, quite literally, explosive live act. Still only in his mid-twenties, Dylan Baldi’s band has released three excellent albums of visceral post-punk that while sounding amazing on record, really has to be experienced live to truly understand the power of the band; even having an album produced by Steve Albini doesn’t prepare you for the extremes of noise produced by this three-piece. Baldi is more than ably assisted by powerhouse drummer Jayson Gerycz and bassis TJ Duke, and as they blast through their back catalogue it’s clear that Cloud Nothings don’t do slow tunes. This is a band that needs to be seen live, despite the use of Albini as producer to ensure an album sounds as raw as they can get it. 'Attack on Memory' was loud, 'Here and Nowhere Else' louder… live? Loudest. Highlights include regular set-opener "Stay Useless" (no slow build up here, they’re right in at breakneck speed), the anthemic crowd-pleaser "Fall In" and epic encore "Wasted Days" – as long as the speakers don’t blow and you don’t collapse from exhaustion, drenched in sweat. With a long career ahead of them, Cloud Nothings seem like they can only get better and better.

Cloud Nothings front man Dylan Baldi claims that producer Steve Albini spent so long playing Scrabble on Facebook while recording with them that he’s probably forgotten what they even sound like. Baldi himself however has clearly been paying close attention to Albini as both a producer and songwriter. It’s a study that has seen a remarkable transformation in his band, who started off on the decidedly indie side of the rock spectrum but now reside in a more pummelling, punk rock neighbourhood alongside Albini approved bands such as Nirvana, the Jesus Lizard and his own group, Shellac. Live, they now resemble more of a force of nature than a band – a gig at London’s Cargo venue saw them carry on playing despite a power cut forcing the venue in to complete darkness, the stage illuminated only by the torches on people’s phones, for almost the entirety of their epic "No Future/No Past." When the lights came back on, the band continued seemingly without even noticing, so involved were they in bashing the living daylights out of their poor instruments. It was a remarkable spectacle, from an increasingly remarkable group – one whose force looks set only to grow record upon record.

Cloud Nothings son pura intensidad y desenfreno. Esa es su carta de presentación y así lo acredita su discografía, que cuenta ya con seis álbumes de estudio. El cuarteto de Cleveland ha pasado por nuestro país (Donostia, Madrid, Valencia y Barcelona) para presentar su último trabajo, Last Building Burning, producido Randall Dunn (Marissa Nadler, Sunn O))), Anna Von Hausswolff) y que vio la luz el pasado mes de octubre de la mano de Carpark Records (...) http://www.indienauta.com/concierto/cloud-nothings-la2-de-apolo-24-02-2019/

Great show! Crowd were pretty hardcore for an "indie rock" show, haha - haven't been in a rumble like that since Propagandhi, many years ago.

Cloud Nothings were great, and their choice of support, Cian Nuggent, although a strange choice for a rock show, perhaps, was really, really good.

First time I have been at the venue, Koko, and what a lovely venue it is. Look forward to seeing some more bands there someday.

Very powerful band. Not many words between the songs. There was much singing, dancing, feeling and they played the song I really wanted to hear live. Wasted days blowed my mind. I was... I AM so happy!!!

But the sound in the Luxor could be better so let's hope they get bigger and will play in ArTheater or Gloria in cologne next time.

The Record Bar was a great venue to see the Cloud Nothings! Super personal space made it an awesome experience. The Cloud Nothings (Dylan, Jayson-a beast of a drummer! TJ, Chris) are a super "chill" group meeting and conversing with their fans and admirers after the gig. Can't wait to see them again!

Great show in front of a small crowd. The venue acoustics weren't the best but the band stilled sounded great. They are incredibly hard-working band on stage who appreciated the crowd. Will definitely be seeing them again.

Saw them this past summer in Oxford, UK in a very small gig venue. They were very good! Their drummer is truly awesome. Would like to see them again. The set was pretty short though, but so much energy.