In their round-up of the "Top 50 Albums of 2012", Pitchfork referred to the Dylan Baldi fronted Cloud Nothings as torchbearers of Nevermind, arriving as a "cacophony cavalry" to put some of the bite back into indie rock. They were no doubt correct that 2012 was a banner year for no-frills "RAWK", but Nirvana seemed to be a dubious touchstone for a band like Cloud Nothings. Cobain's lyrics were frequently too surreal to fully embrace, a sentiment like "I like you" in "Drain You" is simple enough, though "I travel through a tube and end up in your infection" is much less resonant. In that respect Cloud Nothings hem closer to the Replacements, wearing their heart on their sleeve as they look dead in your eye and ask "what's wrong?"
"I'm Not Part of Me", the first taste of the forthcoming Here and Nowhere Else, continues that emotional directness even as Baldi attempts to dodge any stinging questions. "I'm not telling you all I'm going through" he defiantly yelps over bone-dry drums and pressure-packed guitars. It's a misdirect, Baldi feigns reservation while potently delivering "you're not what I really needed" in the chugging verses. When you're in the midst of a fight, it's all-too-easy to jab one moment and flee to your corner the next. You say "nothing's wrong" when that sentiment couldn't be further from the truth. Baldi's coping mechanism of "leaving all the memory of what we did when we were young" can only last for so long. The memories we make are as a part of us as anything else.
Here and Nowhere Else drops April 1 through Carpark Records/Mom & Pop Music.
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