Events

[PUNK] It hasn’t been unusual for Cleveland-based no wave band Cloud Nothings to reimagine their sound from album to album—in fact it has kind of been their modus operandi. The sense of urgency on records like Attack on Memory is still apparent on their new album, Life Without Sound, but it’s been polished up and re-purposed. On the contrary, the sense of pessimism and hopelessness that made their seminal, Steve Albini-produced record Attack on Memory so intriguing is gone, replaced with a reflective and enthused tone akin to something you’d hear from Rivers Cuomo on a good day. In terms of their discography, Life Without Sound delivers a necessary sense of resolution. 

Maybe that’s because the album took much longer to produce for the band, allowing some breathing room to cultivate a contemplative state— dispersing some of their anger and making space for hopefulness. There are exceptions, though, especially the album’s final track “Realize My Fate,” which has frontman Dylan Baldi unleashing some serious angst amid the chaotic discord of the rest of the band—almost like a reverse sort of resolution from the rest of the album’s mostly upbeat tone. Frontman Dylan Baldi actually referred to this album as “my version of new age music,” which might be a stretch, but it also gives some insight into his mind state while making the album—which apparently was made with less of an off the cuff approach than the their previous records. What has likely not changed drastically is the band’s inarguably stellar live show. Cloud Nothings comes to the Tralf Music Hall for just such a show this Friday, April 28.