What’s remarkable about Cloud Nothings is how well the group works within the hardcore genre. The trio takes obvious nods from pioneers like Refused and Fugazi, but somehow transform their archetypes into something much more wholesome and relatable. Case in point: 2012’s Attack on Memory, Cloud Nothings’ best-produced album that now defines the band’s sound. Something about Dylan Baldi’s coarse scream of “I need time to start moving / I need time to stay useless” resonates more as a surrealistic take on boredom rather than a melodramatic whine.
“I’m Not a Part of Me” finds the 20-something front man tightly bound by his ill-defined reality, failing to address an alarming existential crisis. “I’m not telling you all I’m going through” and “You’re the thought that’s haunting me” are exceedingly vague statements but altogether appropriate for every post-grad facing the unforgiving truths of adulthood. Together with its aggressive and dissonant chords, “I’m Not a Part of Me” is a tumultuous journey through Baldi’s own emotions that simultaneously terrifies its target audience: Jonk Music readers.