When Cloud Nothings - formerly the one-man project of Dylan Baldi - made their big breakthrough in 2012, it was with crashing guitars, pummelling drums, and heart-on-sleeve honesty. Two albums later, Cloud Nothings' latest Life without Sound tries to make hay of the nostalgia cycle with bigger, brighter songs, but the results are unfortunately mixed.
For anyone who was at high school between around 2002 and 2009, as the mid-twenties Baldi was, this is going to be nostalgic music. It's not quite emo, but it's not quite indie rock, striking a balance between rough, rock edge and melodic accessibility. That was something that the past two Cloud Nothings albums did beautifully, particularly the Steve Albini (Pixies, PJ Harvey, Nirvana)-engineered Attack on Memory and its great single, "Stay Useless," but here it seems the band have erred closer to the latter.
There are highs here, particularly the single "Internal World," which features an earworm of a chorus delivered with gravitas and charisma in Baldi's worn growl of a voice. The track that immediately follows, "Darkened Rings" also invokes some of the band's most furious punk energy, with dive-bombing guitar leads and an awe-inspiring display from drummer Jayson Gerycz.
On the opposite side of the coin, though, are the tracks that seem to have fallen victim to producer John Goodmanson's worst tendencies. Goodmanson's indie rock bonafides come from working with the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Los Campesinos! and Blonde Redhead, but he doesn't seem quite the right match for Cloud Nothings. "Things Are Right without You," should be anthemic, but close-tracked harmonies make it sound robotic and insincere, and the too-clean guitars of the single "Modern Act" make it sound anonymous.
This is actually Cloud Nothings' most upbeat and optimistic work to date, which can prove to be refreshing after the misanthropic grunge that preceded it. Opener "Up to the Surface," introduced with a resonating piano and rangy guitars, is appropriately oceanic, and "Enter Entirely" is as close to a jam session as Cloud Nothings are ever likely to get, with a loose and relaxed feel buoy a melody that feels lived-in and familiar from the first time you hear it.
Ultimately, this is music that feels great to shout along to, and even better to furiously nod your head to. While the results aren't always as satisfying as Cloud Nothings' previous albums, it's still encouraging that the band hasn't stagnated; the best moments of Life without Sound still feel intense and life affirming. As the shuddering low end and screaming climax of "Strange Year" bleed into the callous-forming and chaotic closer "Realize My Fate," it's best not to think too much and just surrender.
Life without Sound is out on CD, vinyl, and digital formats on Friday January 27th.
