Album Review: Cloud Nothings - 'Final Summer'
Some bands never miss. Cloud Nothings are hitting hard with their new album ‘Final Summer’, its title track potentially hitting hardest. This rare breed of musicians brings a sonically challenging collection of indie rock tracks and it’s the chef’s kiss of musical soundscapes we needed.
Cloud Nothings don’t go on hiatus, they simply keep banging out album after album and never miss a beat on their dark and driving rock releases. ‘Daggers of Light’ builds on a continually inclining musical slope and mantra-like vocals and translates a feeling of longing to break a cycle. It is this strength of putting a whole lot of emotion in very short yet engaging tracks that are unapologetically loud and demand attention. ‘I’d Get Along’ is the perfect example of that. Its soaring vocals and screeching guitar riffs make my heart ache for the person having written this track.
With these ten songs, Cloud Nothings show how they have mastered the art of longevity and never losing focus on what is most important; the quality of their music. Though short, their songs are well crafted and listen like short stories that are all tied together by a similar feeling. This band have steadily become a part of the fabric of modern indie rock and showcase their talent through punching tracks such as ‘Mouse Policy’. The American rock band also shows that length doesn’t always equal strength, the longest track on the album is its title track and ‘Final Summer’ is still only 4.10 minutes long. If you are a fan of a heavier and more provocative, rockier version of Franz Ferdinand, Cloud Nothings offer the answer.
‘Silence’ is the track that demonstrates a softer sound to this fast and furious musical vehicle, the band brings an almost warm sound to their new album. It’s a welcome palette cleanser for the heavy riffs that hit before and after this track. We continue this slightly more subdued, confident sound on ‘Running Through The Campus’ and ‘The Golden Halo’, though on the last one mentioned the vocals return to its sharper timbre. An almost jubilant sound enters the mix on ‘Thank Me For Playing’, on the track we hear the unbridled joy that comes from playing guitars and drums loudly best. On making music and their latest album, Baldi said: “I just like making things. I love having something that I’ve made by the end of the day, even if it’s just one song. It’s like proof that my day happened. I’m just always trying to refine the thing we do, which is to make songs that take you from one place to another.”
It’s that authentic love and passion for music which we hear on every single track on ‘Final Summer’, with riffing guitars most present on ‘On The Chain’. The track is followed by album closer ‘Common Mistake’ which truly sounds like the track a band would leave the stage with, still echoing in my ears, its revelations clear to me. The entire album sounds like a product of passion and refinement, talent and dedication. It is a truly well-rounded story with a start, middle, and ending, short but wonderfully sweet. “It’s about feeling alright in the moment, a lot of these songs sort of ended up being about getting by or trying to keep improving despite everything.” Baldi added about ‘Final Summer’. If that’s what the album does for the musicians that made it, they’ve not only succeeded in trying to make others feel the same way, they’ve also succeeded in telling their story and making their case for still and potentially even more so being a most relevant band within the modern indie rock scene at this point in time.
Words by Laura Rosierse
