Plosives - Crier sur un nuage

Four years of work went into making Yell At Cloud, the follow-up to Plosivs' critically acclaimed debut album (RollingStone.Biz named it the "best new release of the week" in 2021). Why such a long delay between two releases, you ask? In November 2020, the band was invited to be the first guinea pigs at the No Fun Club recording studio in Winnipeg, Canada, and to christen the brand new facility. The band would live and record in the studio and be deeply immersed in the creation of this new album. This was still during the days of COVID lockdown and the early stages of permitted international travel. Producer, engineer and studio designer Mike Bridavsky (Deerhoof, Magnolia Electric Co., The Cowboys, Durand Jones & The Indications, Half Japanese, The Residents) welcomed us with open arms and ran the controls. Unfortunately, a massive (even by Winnipeg standards) arctic storm hit. The complex was without power for the first five days. Using diesel-powered generators and heat powered by sheep tallow, the group had to resolve to use as little electricity as possible. Most of what you hear on Yell At Cloud was recorded in the dark or by candlelight in sub-zero conditions. It wasn't as romantic as it sounds. Due to Canadian regulations for foreign travelers during the pandemic, we had to walk once a day, in blizzard conditions, to a clinic a kilometer away where we had to be swabbed nasally, between the toes and in the groin area in order to be tested for COVID so we could be allowed to stay in the country for another 24 hours. Imagine a band trying to make a record in John Carpenter's The Thing. This had a massive influence on the material and the way it was recorded to tape. Eventually, the sessions became so intense that the band members could no longer maintain their concentration until the end and decided to return home to finish recording at a later date. Months turned into years. Drummer Atom Willard was now a full-time member of the Alkaline Trio. Guitarist John Reis focused on Hot Snakes and his solo recordings and concerts with Swami John Reis. Vocalist and guitarist Rob Crow has continued with Pinback and a myriad of projects, both musical and visual. Bassist Jordan Clark reconnected with his band The Frights and began touring and recording with them again. A huge emotional cloud of dust kicked up during the recording of Yell At Cloud, and it took four years for it to clear. Eventually, Ben Moore (who recorded and mixed the band's first album) stepped in and mixed Yell At Cloud. In order to create perfect continuity with the original tracks, Ben mixed the majority of these files in the dark, with the brightness of his screen set to the lowest setting. The result is a claustrophobic album that seeks an oasis within. From hesitant dissonance to uplifting harmonic convergences, Yell At Cloud is a striking, black-and-white departure from their debut album.