Teenager Dylan Baldi recorded the first Cloud Nothings record in his bedroom over a fortnight - if baby-faced punk-pop is your thang, 2011 is about to start with a bang.
Baldi hails from the “dying city” (his words) of Cleveland, Ohio. He spent his early teens listening to “Eighties hardcore and American punk.” After dropping out of college he released a number of singles which form last year’s ‘Turning On’ compilation. A ‘proper’ debut album is out this month, and with Wichita Records-funded studio time it is a more polished - but still raucous - set of nifty frat-punk anthems.
The multi-instrumentalist recorded both albums himself. He admits that “melody is more important than words - there’s no great meaning to my songs.” Cloud Nothings are, in fact, a four-piece - so what do the others actually do? “They are in the band, but I wouldn’t use them to record. That sounds terrible and mean. They know I like doing stuff on my own.”
2009 saw more exciting debuts for Baldi as he confesses: “It was my first time on a plane, or out of the US. It was a lot of fun to play and have people actually show up” and it is this naivety that the musician carries forth as he seems blissfully unfazed by the press expectations for 2011. “I didn’t expect much after I dropped out of school. I’m just really happy with whatever comes along.”
Words by John Freeman
Photo by Gemma Harris
Where: Cleveland, Ohio
What: Prodigious Nirvana-lite punk-pop puppies
Unique fact: Dylan only played his first live show last year
Get 3 songs: ‘Real Thing’, ‘Morgan’, ‘Been Through’