Cloud – Plays With Fire (2018)

Plays with Fire is the latest album out by Cloud.  The band Cloud consists of Tyler Taormina and friends, and he brings a sense of nostalgia and subtle optimism to his songs.  Plays with Fire incorporates many different styles including indie folk, alternative, ‘bedroom pop’ and psychedelic sounds to make this album extremely easy to listen to.

The first song of Plays with Fire is ‘Happer’s Laugh’.  As this was my first time listening to any of Cloud’s songs, I was intrigued to find out what direction the album would take.  The song was set up by a guitar strum mixed with the sound of the amp.  I immediately thought the song was going to have a strong tune to it but it took a softer route, having a guitar riff that was carried out in its entirety.  To me, this song had a sense of darkness to it, about being lied to or cheated on.  It’s about someone coming to terms with the fact that someone they love is cheating on them.  I think that the guitar is the most important part of this song.  It is a juxtaposition of the sad lyrics, giving a sense of hope in the sadness.  At the end of the song, the guitar with the amplifier comes back as if it is taking over like it’s winning.  It is then followed by a ticking noise which means time is running out, either to make a decision or the weight of what has happened is too much.  ‘Happer’s Laugh’ is conducted in an interesting way as it faces issues that hold a lot of darkness within them, but are still confined to the genre choices of a light and gentle tune.

‘Disenchanted’ is the second song of Cloud’s album.  At the beginning of the song, the ticking from the previous song is carried through which is there to either continue on this concept of time running out so as it is a new song it could reflect on new beginnings and the clock resetting.  This song had a somewhat creepy vibe to it, it held a happy beat played by the instruments but was discussing being left in the dark all alone.  The song comments on issues involving depression but constructs it to be a positive way as if he has come to terms with the way he is and is accepting it.

‘Two Hands Bound’ fits in with the psychedelic genre as it has quite a funky sound.  Again it plays with this juxtaposition as it talking about losing your way in life but he sounds happy to be singing it.  In this sound, it sounds as if there are two different people talking like they are arguing about losing and winning.  For me, it seemed that the higher voice is gesturing to the fact that people who succeed in life as doing it with their hands bound, they are being forced into something they don’t want and have to do things that aren’t proud of to get there.  Whilst the deeper voice is finding the bad in all the good.  It is a struggle, maybe internally, that is confusing him and he doesn’t know what to do.

‘Me, Her & Lavender’ is the fourth song on the Plays with Fire album.  This song shows the first signs of a sad melody.  A group of people wanting to move on from something bad that they did but they can’t forget it or put it behind them.  They are stuck with it which is seen through the lyrics and the instrumentals.  I think this message is carried out through the title of the song as well; lavender reminds me of a summer’s day, bright and blissful.  He just wants it to be him and her and happy moments, which is not possible with the situation they are in.  The same guitar riff is carried out through the entirety of the song that gets louder at the end which portrays the fact that they can’t escape this cycle.  I think this song was very clever in the way Cloud performed it.

Following this are the songs, ‘Oh, So Juvenile’ and ‘Heartfluttered’.  ‘Oh, So Juvenile’ is a song about pouring his heart out to someone and wanting to remember the way he felt when he did it.  It is presented in the form of a “love is a drug” kind of way.  It is reminiscent of the time he fell in love and is somewhat psychedelic in the execution of it.  ‘Heartfluttered’ follows suit with this nostalgic love theme.  It is addressing a story of a first-time intimacy between two people.  The song constructs doting on the moment being a happy time and one that he wishes he could go back to.

‘Wildfire’ is my favourite song on the album.  I love the beginning as it is a bouncy and light tune, incorporating the guitar, drums and what sounds like a tambourine to create this sound.  Not surprisingly, the lyrics don’t match the happy beat of the instruments.  The song is about things coming to an end and the idea that life isn’t as good as people think it is.  I really enjoyed this song because I felt a mixture of emotions when listening, from the excitement at the beginning to the depressing tone the lyrics took.  It was going in many directions but made me think they are trying to hide their true emotions and just try and live with how things are.

‘Comet Happer’ is a slow song that follows the description of a ballad.  It is dedicated to doing something that is risky and about having the strength to take chances.  Although this song has quite an upbeat message, the instruments portray this song as depressing, as if he is afraid or doesn’t want to leave his comfort zone and change his life.

The last song on the album, ‘Mary Goes Mad Again’, was another one of my favourites as there was a double meaning through the lyrics and instruments.  The instrumental part of the song is quite light and fluffy as if everything is calm but the lyrics suggest something different.  The lyrics don’t really make sense like they are just a string of words put on paper.  That mixed with the background noises of people talking getting louder and louder sets up the image of Mary actually going mad.  She is not making sense and she is hearing voices.  I really liked the way this song was carried out and I think it was a good ending to a great album.

All in all, I really enjoyed Plays with Fire by Cloud as it was different to anything else I have listened to.  The band has a way of using instruments to convey certain messages but they also use the intensity of their instruments to juxtapose the lyrics which I think it something not a lot of bands can do.  Their lyrics have different meanings to the instruments and I think that is their way of making light of a bad situation.  They create complex and layered songs
that leave listeners to decide their own meaning and also leaves them wanting to know more.  Well I know I certainly do.

Plays with Fire was released on March 9th and is available via Cloud’s official website or Amazon.
Images courtesy of Cloud and Audio Antihero.