CD of The Week

Cloud Nothings have breezed in again this April with another summer-y release, Here and Nowhere Else. Their fourth studio album is no less emotional or garage gritty than their previous releases, either. Frontman Dylan Baldi has yet again produced a raw and expressive album in terms of both sound and lyrics. Crashing cymbals, up-tempo rhythm guitar lines, and raspy vocals unite each track on this album. “Psychic Trauma” contains an angsty refrain, “I can’t believe what you’re telling me is true/My mind is always wasted listening to you,” while “No Thoughts” escalates nearly into scream-o territory. The front and center status of bass guitars on “Giving Into Seeing” offers some respite, however.

Almost every entry on Here and Nowhere Else comes in around three minutes, keeping the album fast-paced and light, but on the lengthier “Pattern Walks,” listeners experience a pleasant musical expansion in which guitars ripple and keyboard riffs add another aural layer to a familiar sound.

At worst, Here and Nowhere Else could be deemed a bit redundant and perhaps a touch too hard, but I think what we really have is a very fun and raucous album that calls us to embrace those youthful, raw feelings we all bury in favor of subdued civility. Cloud Nothings, as always, beg us to question why we pretend to be adults, anyway. You can question your adulthood along with them this Thursday night at Union Transfer.