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.^[5]

The Shadow I Remember
Studio album by Cloud Nothings
Released	February 26, 2021
Studio	Electrical Audio, Chicago[1]
Length	32:08
Label	Carpark, Wichita
Producer	Steve Albini
Cloud Nothings chronology
The Black Hole Understands (2020) The Shadow I Remember (2021) Final Summer (2024)
Singles from The Shadow I Remember
"Am I Something" Released: October 13, 2020[2] "The Spirit Of" Released: November 17, 2020[3] "Nothing Without You" Released: February 2, 2021[4]

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
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.3/10[9]
Metacritic	77/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Beats Per Minute	62%[12]
Consequence of Sound	B+[13]
DIY	[14]
Exclaim!	8/10[15]
The Line of Best Fit	6/10[16]
NME	[17]
Paste	7.3/10[18]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[19]

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.	Title	Length
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