Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else

Cloud Nothings’ ‘Attack On Memory’ was one of 2012’s finest; Dylan Baldi’s angsty scuzz resonated so brilliantly with Steve Albini’s distinctive production (or lack of it) style, the thrashing guitars as controlled (or not) as they needed to be, Baldi’s angsty screams, yelps and sighs flowing in and out of focus in a way that seemed somehow beyond natural.

It’s odd then, that after just a minute of follow-up ‘Here and Nowhere Else’, it has already paled in comparison. This is more pop, more punk, more chorus-filled; more… song-y. The band – for that’s more evident now than on previous recordings – shift speeds from fast to faster, and veer from brilliantly grungy to cacophonous noise without breaking a sweat as the adrenaline-fuelled organised chaos takes hold.

Whether it’s the archetypal millennial musing “you don’t really seem to care and / I don’t even talk about it” of ‘No Thoughts’, the exhiliarating cacophony of full-throttle stand-out ‘Psychic Trauma’, or the seven-minute-plus (SEVEN MINUTES!) of ‘Pattern Walks’ playing feedback against feedback without once stepping in to post-rock bore territory, ‘Here and Nowhere Else’ is relentless in the best possible way.