The Shadow I Remember
Studio album by
Cloud Nothings
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2021
StudioElectrical Audio, Chicago[1]
Length32:08
LabelCarpark, Wichita
ProducerSteve Albini
Cloud Nothings chronology
The Black Hole Understands
(2020)		 The Shadow I Remember
(2021)
Singles from The Shadow I Remember
  1. "Am I Something"
    Released: October 13, 2020[2]
  2. "The Spirit Of"
    Released: November 17, 2020[3]
  3. "Nothing Without You"
    Released: February 2, 2021[4]

The Shadow I Remember is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cloud Nothings. It was released on February 26, 2021 via Carpark Records.[5]

Background

The album was recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, with record producer Steve Albini.[6]

Release

On October 13, 2020, Cloud Nothings announced the release of the new album, which they had written while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Singles

The first single to be released from the album, "Am I Something," was announced on the same day as the album details.[6]

On November 17, 2020, "The Spirit Of" was announced as the second single.[7]

The band released the third single, "Nothing Without You," on February 3, 2021. In a press release, lead vocalist Dylan Baldi said the song "explores both the negative and positive aspects of dependency, whether it be on a person, a place, an object, or nothing at all."[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[9]
Metacritic77/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Beats Per Minute62%[12]
Consequence of SoundB+[13]
DIY[14]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The Line of Best Fit6/10[16]
NME[17]
Paste7.3/10[18]
Pitchfork7.2/10[19]

The Shadow I Remember was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77 based on 13 reviews.[10] At AnyDecentMusic?, the website gave the album a 7.3 out of 10 based on 10 reviews.[9]

Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares gave the release a 4.5 out of 5, explaining "The Shadow I Remember's compact, hooky outbursts are just as potent as the slow-burning epics on Cloud Nothings' other albums. They're so seasoned that they can shift from bouncy to crushing and back again in a blink on "The Spirit Of," or whip through a dramatic buildup, blistering choruses, and a radiant coda in 90 seconds on "It's Love."[11] In a review for The Line of Best Fit, Ben Lynch gave a mixed review for the album, noting the music is "typically replete with hooks and furious one-liners", and the band should "reassess once more before they head into the studio again."[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Oslo"4:08
2."Nothing Without You"3:18
3."The Spirit Of"2:30
4."Only Light"2:37
5."Nara"2:28
6."Open Rain"3:01
7."Sound of Alarm"3:03
8."Am I Something"3:26
9."It's Love"1:31
10."A Longer Moon"2:51
11."The Room It Was"3:15
Total length:32:08

Personnel

Adapted from Allmusic.[20]

Cloud Nothings
  • Dylan Baldi – lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Chris Brown – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • TJ Duke – bass, backing vocals
  • Jayson Gerycz – drums
Additional personnel
  • Steve Albini – engineering, production
  • Rob Carmichael – design, layout
  • Brett Naucke – synthesizer
  • Greg Obis – mixing, mastering
  • Macie Stewart – vocals

References

  1. ↑ Parker, Matt (February 17, 2021). "Cloud Nothings' Dylan Baldi: 'I've always had the philosophy that going into recording or a show, you can't control everything'". Guitar World. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Blistein, Jon (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Preview New Album With Pummeling 'Am I Something'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 17, 2020). "Cloud Nothings – "The Spirit Of"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ Arnone, Joey (February 2, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Share New Song "Nothing Without You" Alongside Accompanying Video Game". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Thiessen, Brock (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Are Back with New Album 'The Shadow I Remember'". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Schatz, Lake (October 14, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Announce New Album The Shadow I Remember, Share "Am I Something"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ Schatz, Lake (November 18, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Reveal New Song "The Spirit Of"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  8. ↑ Kenneally, Cerys (February 3, 2021). "Cloud Nothings share new track "Nothing Without You" with accompanying game". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  12. ↑ Sentz, Tim (March 1, 2021). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ Teske, Lindsay (February 26, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Return Lean and Introspective on The Shadow I Remember". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  14. ↑ Beech, Dave (25 February 2021). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  15. ↑ Hudson, Alex (February 23, 2021). "'The Shadow I Remember' Is the Quintessential Cloud Nothings Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Lynch, Ben (February 18, 2021). "Cloud Nothings show flashes of their gut-punching best on The Shadow I Remember". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  17. ↑ Buchanan, Rhys (February 25, 2021). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  18. ↑ Salmon, Ben (February 26, 2021). "The Shadow I Remember Is Yet Another Solid Cloud Nothings Album". Paste. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  19. ↑ Soto, Alfred (March 1, 2021). "Cloud Nothings: The Shadow I Remember". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  20. ↑ "The Shadow I Remember - Cloud Nothings". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.