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]
| The Shadow I Remember | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 26, 2021 | |||
| Studio | Electrical Audio, Chicago[1] | |||
| Length | 32:08 | |||
| Label | Carpark, Wichita | |||
| Producer | Steve Albini | |||
| Cloud Nothings chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Shadow I Remember | ||||
Background
editThe album was recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, with record producer Steve Albini.[6]
Release
editOn 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
editThe 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
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[9] |
| Metacritic | 77/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Beats Per Minute | 62%[12] |
| Consequence of Sound | B+[13] |
| DIY |  [14] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[15] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 6/10[16] |
| NME | [17] |
| Paste | 7.3/10[18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[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
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
edit- 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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Preview New Album With Pummeling 'Am I Something'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 17, 2020). "Cloud Nothings – "The Spirit Of"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Arnone, Joey (February 2, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Share New Song "Nothing Without You" Alongside Accompanying Video Game". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Thiessen, Brock (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Are Back with New Album 'The Shadow I Remember'". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Schatz, Lake (November 18, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Reveal New Song "The Spirit Of"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Sentz, Tim (March 1, 2021). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Teske, Lindsay (February 26, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Return Lean and Introspective on The Shadow I Remember". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Beech, Dave (25 February 2021). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (February 23, 2021). "'The Shadow I Remember' Is the Quintessential Cloud Nothings Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Buchanan, Rhys (February 25, 2021). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Salmon, Ben (February 26, 2021). "The Shadow I Remember Is Yet Another Solid Cloud Nothings Album". Paste. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Soto, Alfred (March 1, 2021). "Cloud Nothings: The Shadow I Remember". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ "The Shadow I Remember - Cloud Nothings". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 March 2021.