For more than a decade and a half, if not longer, Cloud Nothings have stood as one of the most dependable forces on the indie rock scene. Yet there seems to be a restlessness driving them to leave that sphere and explore new landscapes. At present, they release music on Pure Noise, a label largely anchored in post-hardcore. A couple of years ago, they contributed a Misfits cover to a Pure Noise compilation. And now Cloud Nothings reveal plans to follow 2024’s Final Summer with What Kind of Hell Did You Survive?, a fresh album whose sonic core sits in metal and heavy rock.
If you’ve heard their 2012 landmark Attack On Memory, you know Cloud Nothings can get genuinely heavy when they choose. Drummer Jayson Gerycz is a powerhouse who can strike with speed and force at once. So the notion of a metal-inflected Cloud Nothings record isn’t a huge stretch. Still, it’s satisfying to hear them switch into that gear without discarding their personality on the new single “Death Keeps Me Alive.” (Great title.) It’s a somewhat doomy riff-monster that calls to mind Cave In and the Wipers, and it even edges toward black metal as it nears its end.
Here’s what frontman Dylan Baldi had to say about the new album and about “Death Keeps Me Alive” in particular:
The album is our attempt to pay homage to the heavy rock music we’ve been absorbing over the last few years. Some fairly direct and well-known musical influences on the tracks include Queens of the Stone Age, Motörhead, Earth, and Electric Wizard. We were starting to feel somewhat pigeonholed in the indie rock world and wanted to shift our sound to reveal a different facet of our interests and abilities…
Lyrically, I drew inspiration from more political strains of metal and hardcore. The songs address oppressive governments, the importance of community, and at times a broad anger at the state of the world…
From a lyrical standpoint, “Death Keeps Me Alive” is voiced from the perspective of a lurking malevolent force that never fully vanishes and feeds on death, war, and hate, which is a kind of classic “metal” angle to sing about. I hope listeners hear this track and feel excited for what the rest of the record could sound like, and recognize that this marks a new edition of Cloud Nothings that didn’t have a clear precedent before this recording.
Alex Scalzo-Brown directed the stark black-and-white music video for “Death Keeps Me Alive,” which carries some playful spooky-season vibes. Below, you can watch that clip, see the What Kind of Hell Did You Survive? tracklist, and view Cloud Nothings’ forthcoming tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 “World Destroyer”
02 “You And I”
03 “That’s Life”
04 “Terror Multiplies”
05 “Death Keeps Me Alive”
06 “Part Of Something More”
07 “You Do The Killing Too”
08 “Die In Piece”
09 “This World Is Shit”
TOUR DATES:
11/07 – Bristol, UK @ Simple Things Festival
11/08 – Leeds, UK @ Lending Room
11/10 – Manchester, UK @ YES
11/11 – Glasgow, UK @ Core Festival Preshow @ Hug & Pint
11/12 – Zaragoza, Spain @ Feliz Feliz Festival
11/13 – Vigo, Spain @ Underfest Xacobeo
11/14 – Oviedo, Spain @ Gong
11/15 – Nov Donostia, Spain @ Dabadaba
11/17 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Upload
11/18 – Madrid, Spain @ Café Berlin
11/19 – Valencia, Spain @ 16 Toneladas
11/21 – Lisbon, Portugal @ ZDB
What Kind of Hell Did You Survive? is out 1/29 on Pure Noise. Pre-order it here.
