Photo by Mark Baldi
The first full length from 19-year-old Dylan Baldi from Cleveland, OH under the name Cloud Nothings is what helped me wake up for a few weeks straight. The scratchy fuzzy lo-fi power pop full of messy layers and catchy melodies temporarily replaced caffeine for me. It’s a nice throwback to simple sounds that I never tire of, no matter how many times a phrase repeats. Then the second album came out, and became my new coffee substitute.
As you can read below, Dylan describes the second full length appropriately as being more produced, but still has grit and is very fast paced. It’s true. This album is over before you know it, but by then it’s time to go to work anyway.
Kelly Knapp: How did Cloud Nothings start?
Dylan Baldi: It started when I was in college last year. I was bored with classes, so I started recording music in my free time and putting it up online. The first songs I recorded became “Turning On,” the album that was released a few months ago.
KK: It seems as though you already have a stream of LPs, EPs, 7”s and cassettes pouring from a few different record labels. How did you swing all that?
DB: I was lucky enough to have people contact me and ask for me to release music through their labels. I’ve never had to seek out a label if I’ve got something I want to release, and I’m really grateful for that.
KK: Are you as restless and energetic as your music?
DB: Only when it comes to my work ethic – I write and record music more or less all the time. But outside of that I’m pretty laid back…I get all of the energy out in my music.
KK: Who is your favorite band that you have played with so far?
DB: Fucked Up, for sure. We did a week-long tour with them back in the summer and it was absolutely unreal – one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.
KK: What was the process behind recording your newest album? What can fans used to your bedroom lo-fi sound expect?
DB: I recorded the new album with Chester Gwazda in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s definitely a bit more “produced” sounding since it was recorded in a studio environment instead of my basement or bedroom, but there’s still that same grit and energy that was present on “Turning On.” Even more so, I think. It’s a very fast-paced album.
KK: Do you have any other projects you’re working on, or wish you had more time for?
DB: Right now Cloud Nothings is taking up all my time…I’ve made some songs that wouldn’t fit on a Cloud Nothings release at all but that I still think are good songs, so maybe I’ll do something with those eventually.
KK: What was the first album you ever bought?
DB: I think it was a They Might Be Giants record. Probably the self-titled.
KK: What’s your favorite thing about playing live?
DB: I love playing a good show after I’ve been bummed out all day – it can turn everything around and immediately make me feel better about things.
Cloud Nothings play several dates in the UK starting next week before moving on to a few dates in Europe, but come back to the States in March, starting in the Southeast. You can keep up with the latest news on Carpark Records, and watch Cloud Nothings’ newest live video for “Forget You All the Time” here.
