Grapthar's Song of the Day: Cloud Nothings - 'Am I Something'

Cloud Nothings had released a new song, which was a preview of their next full length, so I thought it would be a good choice for today's feature. I have been a fan of these guys since I first heard their 2012 album Attack on Memory, which was really a really cool blend of emo, post-hardcore and punk. I then went back and listened to the earlier albums, and of course, have kept up with recent releases. The band was formed in 2009, though it was really just a name for all the music written and recorded by singer/guitarist/songwriter Dylan Baldi, and remained a solo project for the first few months. However, to get gigs, Baldi got a band together, which for the most part, has remained consistent. Baldi's earliest albums are SO different from the more recent stuff; it was very poppy, sort of lo-fi, indie/dance music.

often darker music, and the quality of the songwriting has definitely increased. This song is from the band's forthcoming album, The Shadow I Remember, which will be released in February of next year, and is completely different than anything that has come before. It clearly has quite a bit of the punk influence, but also does some really weird, dissonant stuff at the beginning of the track that is quite stark compared to the band's more typically melodic material. The rest of the track returns to that a bit more, with some awesome, catchy choruses, but even through those part, the guitar tones, and speed and intensity of the drums are very new. If this is going to be a theme on this new release, I'm pretty excited to hear it, as I found myself with this song on repeat in my car yesterday and all day today.