Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 28, 2026

The Shadow I Remember

The Shadow I Remember is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cloud Nothings. It was released on February 26, 2021 via Carpark Records.

Last revised
Jul 28, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
The Shadow I Remember
Studio album by
Cloud Nothings
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2021
StudiosElectrical Audio, Chicago1
Length32:08
LabelsCarpark, Wichita
ProducerSteve Albini
Cloud Nothings chronology
The Black Hole Understands
(2020) 		The Shadow I Remember
(2021) 		Final Summer
(2024)
Singles from The Shadow I Remember
  1. "Am I Something"
    Released: October 13, 20202
  2. "The Spirit Of"
    Released: November 17, 20203
  3. "Nothing Without You"
    Released: February 2, 20214

The Shadow I Remember is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cloud Nothings. It was released on February 26, 2021 via Carpark Records.5

Background

The album was recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, with record producer Steve Albini.6

Release

On October 13, 2020, Cloud Nothings announced the release of the new album, which they had written while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.6

Singles

The first single to be released from the album, "Am I Something," was announced on the same day as the album details.6

On November 17, 2020, "The Spirit Of" was announced as the second single.7

The band released the third single, "Nothing Without You," on February 3, 2021. In a press release, lead vocalist Dylan Baldi said the song "explores both the negative and positive aspects of dependency, whether it be on a person, a place, an object, or nothing at all."8

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/109
Metacritic77/10010
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star11
Beats Per Minute62%12
Consequence of SoundB+13
DIYStarStarStarStar14
Exclaim!8/1015
The Line of Best Fit6/1016
NMEStarStarStar17
Paste7.3/1018
Pitchfork7.2/1019

The Shadow I Remember was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77 based on 13 reviews.10 At AnyDecentMusic?, the website gave the album a 7.3 out of 10 based on 10 reviews.9

Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares gave the release a 4.5 out of 5, explaining "The Shadow I Remember's compact, hooky outbursts are just as potent as the slow-burning epics on Cloud Nothings' other albums. They're so seasoned that they can shift from bouncy to crushing and back again in a blink on "The Spirit Of," or whip through a dramatic buildup, blistering choruses, and a radiant coda in 90 seconds on "It's Love."11 In a review for The Line of Best Fit, Ben Lynch gave a mixed review for the album, noting the music is "typically replete with hooks and furious one-liners", and the band should "reassess once more before they head into the studio again."16

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Oslo"4:08
2."Nothing Without You"3:18
3."The Spirit Of"2:30
4."Only Light"2:37
5."Nara"2:28
6."Open Rain"3:01
7."Sound of Alarm"3:03
8."Am I Something"3:26
9."It's Love"1:31
10."A Longer Moon"2:51
11."The Room It Was"3:15
Total length:32:08

Personnel

Adapted from Allmusic.20

Cloud Nothings
  • Dylan Baldi – lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Chris Brown – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • TJ Duke – bass, backing vocals
  • Jayson Gerycz – drums
Additional personnel
  • Steve Albini – engineering, production
  • Rob Carmichael – design, layout
  • Brett Naucke – synthesizer
  • Greg Obis – mixing, mastering
  • Macie Stewart – vocals
References

References

  1. Parker, Matt (February 17, 2021). "Cloud Nothings' Dylan Baldi: 'I've always had the philosophy that going into recording or a show, you can't control everything'". Guitar World. Retrieved March 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. Blistein, Jon (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Preview New Album With Pummeling 'Am I Something'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  3. Breihan, Tom (November 17, 2020). "Cloud Nothings – "The Spirit Of"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  4. Arnone, Joey (February 2, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Share New Song "Nothing Without You" Alongside Accompanying Video Game". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  5. Thiessen, Brock (October 13, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Are Back with New Album 'The Shadow I Remember'". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  6. Schatz, Lake (October 14, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Announce New Album The Shadow I Remember, Share "Am I Something"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  7. Schatz, Lake (November 18, 2020). "Cloud Nothings Reveal New Song "The Spirit Of"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  8. Kenneally, Cerys (February 3, 2021). "Cloud Nothings share new track "Nothing Without You" with accompanying game". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  9. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  10. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  11. Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  12. Sentz, Tim (March 1, 2021). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. Teske, Lindsay (February 26, 2021). "Cloud Nothings Return Lean and Introspective on The Shadow I Remember". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  14. Beech, Dave (February 25, 2021). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  15. Hudson, Alex (February 23, 2021). "'The Shadow I Remember' Is the Quintessential Cloud Nothings Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  16. Lynch, Ben (February 18, 2021). "Cloud Nothings show flashes of their gut-punching best on The Shadow I Remember". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  17. Buchanan, Rhys (February 25, 2021). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  18. Salmon, Ben (February 26, 2021). "The Shadow I Remember Is Yet Another Solid Cloud Nothings Album". Paste. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  19. Soto, Alfred (March 1, 2021). "Cloud Nothings: The Shadow I Remember". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  20. "The Shadow I Remember - Cloud Nothings". Allmusic. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
External links