*Cover Photo by: Errick Easterday
Cloud Nothings, a band that originally began as the solo project of lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi, have remained a prolific fixture of the indie scene since the release of its debut EP, Turning On, in 2010. The Cleveland, Ohio-based trio delivered an energetic, full-throttle performance to an enthusiastic audience at Crystal Ballroom on Monday evening in support of their latest album, Final Summer, proving that they’ve only refined and perfected their melodic, distinctive brand of rock over the past 14 years.
The show opened on a tranquil note, with Cloud Nothings drummer Jayson Gerycz making his first appearance of the night as he took the stage alongside Anthony Pasquarosa and Kryssi Battalene for a low-key, atmospheric set that melded folky strings with psychedelic and meditative flourishes.
Philadelphia indie rock quartet Hurry picked up the pace with 45 minutes of catchy, upbeat songs — including a cover of Teenage Fanclub’s “Don’t Look Back” — and cheeky between-song banter, courtesy of vocalist Matt Scotoline. “How ya feelin’? Can I get a ‘fine’? How about a ‘not bad’? How about a ‘not bad for a Monday?’” he joked.
The band’s optimistic energy perfectly set the tone for the headliner to take the stage, which they did without any fanfare before launching straight into the title track from their latest effort.
A couple of songs into the set, Baldi introduced the new album, and playfully acknowledged longtime fans who likely wanted to hear some older tracks with which they might be more familiar. “We’re gonna play through [the new record] real quick, play some other songs, and then go home,” he quipped to laughter from the crowd.
While Cloud Nothings cite a wide range of influences across decades, from Thin Lizzy to Wipers and The Lemonheads, the fuzzed-out college rock intrinsic to their DNA is even more pronounced live than on their recorded work. Chris Brown’s flowing bass lines and Gerycz’s potent, rock-solid drumming complemented Baldi’s vocals to evoke an understated sort of slacker charm that still packed a punch — and had members of the crowd letting loose and dancing without abandon throughout the night, especially on the bright, buoyant “Running Through the Campus” and the peppy “Thank Me for Playing.” In fact, there were moments during the show when the venue felt a whole lot more like a cozy, grungy club in the early ‘90s than a spacious ballroom in 2024; the music not only entertaining, but transporting.
The band made sure to show some love to fan favorites from their previous releases as well, including the raw, high-energy “Stay Useless” and more polished, power-poppy “Modern Act.” However, it also showcased its heavier side with more aggressive tracks like “In Shame” from 2018’s Last Building Burning, plus “No Sentiment” and the nearly-nine-minute “Wasted Days” from 2012’s Attack on Memory – the latter of which closed the set and featured a mesmerizing instrumental segment and formidable screams from Baldi.
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