Ever since its advent in the 1970s, punk apparently dies every 10 years. Without examining the work of emerging bands and the socio-political conversations of new generations, from the outside, these new kids are all a bunch of posers! “Punk’s dead! Punk’s dead!” The music is evolving from its origins, yes, but a principle of punk is fostering change.
When one mixes hard-edged experimental rock, jazzy saxophones, piano, and indie rock, you birth the 2022 album Tough Baby. Created by the musical and multimedia collective Crack Cloud, the album is a quintessential example of the fresh metamorphosis the culture’s music is taking. The DIY production, the story-telling, and inventive instrumentation of Tough Baby reflects early traditional punk customs.
The album opens with “Danny’s Message.” The track begins with an audio file left from frontman and drummer Zach Choy’s late father. Danny describes the therapeutic nature of creation, poetry, and music. Sounds of pencils scratching paper can be heard on top of his voice, insinuating someone taking notes and also signaling to the listener that the album is something to learn from.
The album then moves on to “The Politician.” Choy creeps onto the song with a hushed voice. The song draws on narcissistic and manipulative behaviors of politicians, but the theme can also be applied to personal relationships (“To disgrace all that wouldn’t play your game/Chasing mirrors in mask/ And it’s all or none ‘cause it’s you or everyone”). Abrupt strikes of guitar shocking the system in the beginning of the track weave into a soft mid-tempo beat. The sound of “The Politician” encapsulates the blend of hard-edge and soft-style throughout the rest of the album.
Track three, “Costly Engineered Illusion,” highlights the rat race of working to survive while also struggling with drug addiction. Several members are recovering addicts and found community and respite within the band. Choy sings exaggerated theatrical voice, adding more textured quality to the distant sounds of saxophone, harps, and drums.
Another juggernaut is track five, “Virtuous Industry.” Opening with the villainous laughter of what one can imagine as a business tycoon, the band creates a 2-minute, 45-second story of the predatory nature of the music industry. The song plunges into a noisy amalgam of drums, saxophone, synths, and guitars. With visceral lyrics like, “They twist and churn your story for the likeness of your image (they take!) They scratch upon your mind until your brain feels pillaged (they make!)” the band paints their frustrations with the business. Other members of the band offer supporting vocals, shouting the lyrics as if a horde of people protesting authority.
Tough Baby closes with a previously recorded song from 2019, “Crackin Up,” that perfectly aligns with the rest of the album. Guttural bass guitar anchors the tune and emphasizes the heavy theme of isolation during mental crises. The vulnerable lyrics illustrate a low point in life and reflect the singer's wounds. However, the final lyrics of the album demonstrate the flowers growing from said wounds as a result of this project (My soul, my love center but I cannot be broken by Hell/Crack Cloud!).
This year Crack Cloud released a new album, Red Mile, and are touring internationally. For their New York City stop (in true anti-capitalist fashion) the band held a free concert at Baby’s Alright alongside Guerilla Tacos, and performed songs from Tough Baby and Red Mile.
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