Cloud Nothings

Fresh off a still smoking compilation of his Turning On EP, a seven-inch and some cassette tracks, Dylan Baldi has wasted no time with his debut full-length as Cloud Nothings. Dropping the modest, lo-fi self-production of his home recordings, the teenage singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist headed to Baltimore to work with Wham City resident Chester Gwazda (Dan Deacon, Future Islands). While the cleanliness of Gwazda's recording is an obvious plus, Baldi's creative leap towards a scrappier power pop punk sound is fun to encounter. Lying somewhere between the lightning-fast explosiveness of Hüsker Dü's New Day Rising and the youthful irreverence of Blink-182's Dude Ranch, Cloud Nothings has all the attributes to be held in the same company as those releases one day. Hastening the tempo of his songs, Baldi rips through bratty, heartfelt anthems like "Understand At All" and "Nothing's Wrong" with succinct impulses, but none of the obvious trademarks you often get from the Fat camp. While signing to Carpark makes him an anomaly on the label, Baldi's minimalist approach, sharp hooks and shrewd songwriting position him to follow a path of his own where he can co-headline a tour with Toro y Moi instead of the unknowns stage at Warped Tour.