"Proof of Life" by Cloud District (Inter-Review)

I'd like to preface this very special, very exciting Inter-Review by saying that I have been an active fan of Cloud District for at least six years; I'm able to trace back my discovery of them to around 2017-2018, right around the time their album "Don't Give Up, Skeleton" was getting ready to be released. Readers, you will have to accept the fact that this will be a very biased review. I try to go into every review with an open mind, free of preconceived ideas, but it simply is not possible to deny how much I love this band, and the fact that their music will always hold a very special and sacred place in my heart. Having said that, I do truly believe everyone reading this right now should take the time to listen. I think there is at least one song, or even one full EP/album that will deeply resonate with you, whether it's their new songs, or some old deep cuts. After six years since their previous release, there was a lot of anticipation for this EP, and it did not disappoint! So, let's get into it.

Cloud District is a (somewhat) Hudson Valley, NY based band, however the members range from Illinois to Pennsylvania as well as New York. Made up of 5 members (Brian McCue, Anthony Raucci, Adam Wolven, Vinny Watch, and James Castle), Cloud District has been classified as Indie-Rock and Emo, but it is very hard to narrow their sound to just one or two genres. They could not be further from "run-of-the-mill Indie-Rock" with their diverse collection of sounds, inventive and far-out usage of synth and layering, and unique and thought-provoking lyrics.

On "Proof of Life" (released September 13th, 2024) all the members seemed to have their hands on a little bit of everything, as far as instrumentation goes:

Adam Wolven: Drums

Anthony Raucci: Guitar, upright bass, synths

Brian McCue: vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, synth, bass

James Castle: vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, bass

Vinny Watch: Bass

With the addition of Corianne Ashmore contributing bass on the track "Archimedes' Death Ray"

All this culminating into a vast array of sounds, most of which are unlike anything I've ever heard before.

"Proof of Life" has recurring themes and references to apocalyptic imagery, death (whether it be general or, specifically, dying by suicide), and debating the existence of a God. In a six-year gap between releases (not including "Polaris", a single released in October of 2020), there was, needless to say, a lot of growing and life experiences that took place in the members' lives; moving around the country, getting married, having kids, completing grad-school, and not to mention, a worldwide pandemic. All this growth is well-represented in the meaning of "Proof of Life" as well as their change in sound. By no means is this new-and-improved Cloud District unrecognizable, they have always utilized a spacey, electronic, ambient sound into their work, but now it is a cauldron full of ingredients from all stages of Cloud District's life, and some may say, a perfected recipe.

This EP starts off with the opening track "Shield", one of two songs that were originally drafted in 2018. The song opens with a steady drum beat; a strong, symbolic way of beginning this story because, forgive my word play, perhaps it is representing the doldrums, a period of inactivity, the band had found itself in. In addition to this analogy, doldrums are also defined as "a nautical term for a belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships can get stuck on windless waters"; despite the spaciness of its instrumentation, there is an earthliness, a very human and corporeal feeling to the EP. For example, this song has a lyric "I deliver doomsdays" seemingly something that could be spoken by an astral or heavenly figure, which is shortly followed up by "surprise, I am panicking again but trying not to think about it" which is so unabashedly human. The immediate next line begins with "Glory-Bringer sing me brilliant", which is paralleled in the final stanza with "Glory-Bringer ignite my purpose", and follows with "my longsword rusted but my armor blunted,

endless unrhymed verses of my courage, tell them I existed when existence was destructive" painting the picture of some sort of warrior pleading with a higher being or some higher power. I would hate to gloss over "tell them I existed when existence was destructive" which is such a beautiful lyric, as well as the final line of the song "outcomes all are irrelevant", both of these lyrics really made me sit and think for a good while and it is so impressive how just a short few words can have such a heavy meaning and cause such an impact and reaction. An amazing, beautiful, and thought-provoking opening track.

Next up is "Buy It for Life", clocking in at only 58 seconds, it is quick, fun, and I believe it is the most representative of older Cloud District. This was the song that originally stood out to me on my first listen of the entire release. It's hard to ignore a song that starts with the lyrics "I hate watching my cat die" as well as a catchy repeat chorus featuring "God isn't real and I'm pissed about it". I think this song is pretty palatable to audiences that are a little more hesitant when it comes to experimentation. Yes, there is a synth, a very soothing one, and it's pleasing to the ear and subtle enough that it doesn't enter into the "weird" territory that may be off-putting to some people. I can't overstate enough how this is quintessential Cloud District. As an avid fan of their earlier music, this song has the essence of what I imagine when I think of Cloud District, similar to "Cuddle Puddle" or "Natalie Dormer". It is a very nice and much welcomed return to basics while still fitting in and being relevant to the rest of the EP, and being only the second song, it comes and goes quick enough that we get our fix but there's still plenty of time and room to transition into their more fresh and mature sound that holds the majority.

The third song is "Archimedes' Death Ray" titled after the real-life story of Archimedes, an Ancient Greek physicist and mathematician, amongst other things; most people would know him as the inventor or Pi, or the guy that said "Eureka". But, as the story goes, Archimedes created and used a "death ray" against the Romans during the siege of Syracuse. This death ray was actually a ton of mirrors designed to reflect concentrated sunlight directed at Roman warships. Many people, much smarter than I could ever dream or being, have attempted to recreate this but most have been unsuccessful, sparking a controversy and debate on whether or not the death ray is a myth. Okay, there's your history lesson for the day, now let's talk about the song. Sonically, this is a new style for Cloud District, starting with soft vocals and a droning synth. However, lyrically, there is still a bit of that lighthearted and somewhat silliness that we know and love, splicing between references to the mirrors of the death ray with "I'm a series of mirrors reflecting the sunlight" and a story about being at the grocery store, specifically "talk to the girl in the bakery but got embarrassed by the drudgery". This song goes through a few very different styles, starting off with a droning synth I previously mentioned, eventually building and shifting until it presents a space for drums and guitar to make their way to the front. As it continues to develop, we get some funky bass and "doo doo doo"s and some crazy reverbed guitar solos before we are introduced to a very fun techno style synth melody and the repetitive lyrics that share the title "Archimedes' Death Ray", until it ends with a squeaky, high-pitched synth trailing off. As of right now, it seems fans have really taken a liking to this song in particular, and for good reason.

The following song, "Two Moons" gives a nice dichotomy from the previous song. Coming from a song with lots of synth and crazy otherworldly sounds, "Two Moons" begins with just a gentle acoustic guitar, shortly partnered with a progressive background ambience before the rest of the band kicks in. Though it does include the full band, it stays a soft and modest acoustic song until about halfway through when the drums really start banging, the guitar turns crunchy and distorted, and the vocals get more aggressive for a short time until the song settles on a nice in-between of the two established sounds, meeting in the middle with twinkly guitars and relaxing "ahhh"s from the vocals, slowly winding down until it is back to just the beautifully plucked licks and riffs of the acoustic.

We've made it to the title track, "Proof of Life", what we've all been waiting for, right? This song is the other half of the two songs originally drafted during the "Don't Give Up, Skeleton" era, and it definitely earns its namesake, as well as the honor of sharing a title of the whole release. A lot of lyrical themes and mentions from previous songs are brought back and come full circle, for example:

"I try and speak softly but the neighbors still hear me" is familiar to the lyric in "Shield" that says "you're quiet on the phone but I can hear you breathing if I listen close"

"kaleidoscope proof of an absent creator" this is a consistent theme, but most notably and most blatantly spoken would be from "Buy It for Life" with "God isn't real and I'm pissed about it"

"So, you fantasize about killing yourself" more references to suicide, but once again most obviously stated in "Shield" with "and surprise, I didn't kill myself today,

but definitely thought about it"

This last big one I noticed was another parallel with "Shield" that I believe was intentional, "deluge daydream sing it to me sweet" partnered with "Glory-Bringer sing me brilliant"

Once I really started noticing these tidbits, it does make a lot of sense that these were the first two songs written, considering how much they share lyrically. I'm sure there are many other details I missed, but after quite a few listens and reading along to the lyrics, that's what I was able to pick up on. This song starts with more abrasive guitars, by no means heavy, but less twinkly and full of reverb and chorus than it has been prior, it very much feels like a bright sunrise warming up the Earth. Almost exactly at the halfway mark, there is a really interesting synth line that almost sounds like a melody from an 8-bit game without all the fuzz, I really loved that sound and definitely wanted to acknowledge it here. As this sound continues, guitars, bass, and drums all start slamming down together, we get some more metal-style drum action and guitar chugging with a really fantastic crunch tone. Despite the heaviness of the band on this track, it pairs so nicely with the synth melody that starts to shape-shift until it fades out and leads us to the final song.

"Vaporwave Nightmare" is the final song on the "Proof of Life" EP, and it starts with, what sounds like, a news broadcast and a lot of extraterrestrial or UFO abduction sounds until we are reunited with the acoustic guitar once again. This song also has a few parallels with other songs that I enjoyed. The line "Each future is at least decent" reminded me of "outcomes all are irrelevant" from "Shield", a nice subversion of expectations that shows growth from the beginning to the end of the EP. It is possible this song has my favorite lyrics on the entire release, I gave a good chuckle from "your cousin said he met god on DMT,

and I'm trying hard to get him to leave".

This song feels very nostalgic, talking about how time flies and looking back at the past but trying to live in the present. There are a lot of subtle sounds behind the vocals and acoustic guitar that help evoke emotion without being in your face, demanding to be heard. More twinkle, but also a little bit of glitchy static, swelling synth, and most notably, birds chirping, tying in the earthly atmosphere with the astral vibes very nicely and with a strong balance. There seems to be hints at reincarnation or a rebirth with the lines "starving off scurvy,

I eat an orange in the kitchen, try to live in the present" like it's a new day, it's a new lifetime, I'm a new person.

I love the final lines of this song and think it's a beautiful and poetic way to end the EP with "if we're waiting on the end times, I'm glad you're waiting with me". It is so sweet and can be interpreted in so many ways of who the voice or writer is speaking to, are they speaking to us, the audience? Friends, family, loved ones? In a literal sense, the other members of Cloud District? Past versions of themselves? All of the above? I love that finale, putting a nice bow on everything.

Overall, I am so glad I was forced to listen to this over and over again in order to review it. With every listen, I gained more appreciation for it, found more details, and put together more puzzle pieces that I was proud of myself for discovering. There is a lot to unpack for only a six-song release, but the choreography of sound and the fully realized lyricism really makes this a masterpiece. I have so much more respect and love for Cloud District now than I did even before I started this review, and I once again, heavily implore you all to explore their discography. This band is a hugely talented group of individuals that have created something really special over the years.

I told myself before I started writing that I wanted to end the review with my favorite track, if there was one song that I would recommend for people to listen to if they could only listen to one, and I am having quite a tough time. For me, personally, "Buy It for Life" was the first song that jumped out at me, I really love the sound and lyrics, it's short and sweet, and because of my own music preferences and how it reminds me of old Cloud District, I can see myself playing that one a lot more often. However, I don't necessarily think it's the best song on the album. I think my suggestion would have to be "Proof of Life", it's the song the gives the EP its name, you are kind of obligated to listen to it. But aside from the obligation, it really is a well-crafted song with layers of intricacies that gives you a little bit of everything from the whole release, and I think you can leave that song with a lot of fresh emotion and thoughts to ponder after the fact.

This was a beautiful EP, and I can't thank Cloud District enough for allowing me to review it. If you are already a fan, and have the means to do so, I would thoroughly advise you to go to https://clouddistrictmusic.bandcamp.com/merch and purchase "Don't Give Up, Skeleton" on vinyl. It is a great record; it helps fund more music (and hopefully future vinyl releases!) and also, I'm well aware that Brian would really like to get them out of his living room.

That concludes my review of "Proof of Life" by Cloud District, but don't click off just yet! Down below is an incredible interview with the members of Cloud District, I am so excited to speak with them and ask all about this fresh release. Keep reading to see what we talked about in our interview portion of this very special Inter-Review!

Interview:

I am so ecstatic to be here with the members of Cloud District, thank you all so much for agreeing to answer some questions! Full transparency, I have had on-and-off communications over the last few years with Brian and Anthony; and Brian, leading up to this review, you were so kind for giving me some very helpful resources to utilize in my review, and were very patient with me asking questions and wanting some clarification or elaboration on certain aspects.

You did mention that my perspective and interpretation of the EP may not be comparable to your own interpretations, which, you did specifically go out of your way to explain, is okay! If you wouldn't mind sharing, I would love to hear all of your own breakdowns of what the EP means to you, what messages you wanted to get across, and feelings or thoughts you wanted to convey.

Brian: For me, this EP is a collection of songs that sort of represent a wide variety of Cloud District’s songwriting in terms of style and sound. One of the challenges we ran into on this EP was that the songs span a pretty long bit of time from initial writing and they are pretty varied in style. I think the oldest songs date back to around 2017 and the most recent, "Two Moons" was completed around the end of 2021. For "Shield" and "Proof of Life" specifically, Anthony and I had worked on them a lot and I think we were both feeling a real sense of fatigue about them. For me, songs start to lose their excitement the more you work on them and play them. The songs are also pretty stylistically varied and I definitely was thinking “Do these songs really flow together at all?” If you just listen to the first three songs on the EP, I think each song is pretty unique in terms of style and vibe. I think Shane Stanton who mixed this album did a lot of work to get these songs to sound like they belong together and to make this into a cohesive product. I am also happy with the track order we ended up with. For me, "Buy It For Life" sounds like a song that could fit happily on "Almanacs" and I liked that the EP sort of returned to that sound right at the start following "Shield". In terms of thoughts and feelings, honestly it is hard to say because this EP was written over a very long period of time and the lyrics were written at many different periods in my life. I like that the EP maintains a sort of core Cloud District-ness while expanding our catalogue. "Proof of Life" started out as a joking title referencing our lack of output in six years but I think it is perfect for the record and evocative of a lot of the song’s themes.

Anthony: All the songs were started at such different times and over such a long time that it's hard to pin down any particular feeling about them. We have also scrapped about two albums of songs between the release of "DGUS" and now. TBH I am glad at least some of the songs got released, but sad some are lost to time.

James: I think I joined CD in 2020 or 2021 or something, so I got a unique perspective of these songs hearing them as a fan first. It was really working with my friends in a creative space and I'm really proud of this release. The first song I heard was “Proof of Life” and the intro is so bright and glowing, it felt like a metaphor for joining the group.

Vinny: As the others mentioned, the EP represents such an expansive amount of time that it’s hard to pin down one personal meaning or interpretation. I think as a whole, the album deals a lot with themes of daydreaming, the doldrums of life, and trying your best to deal with The Horrors ™. With me being long distance, the main feeling I get when I listen to these songs now is connection. It's wild that I can live a full state away from everyone when this stuff was being written and see Brian post some lyrics that represent the same emotions I’m experiencing. I think Brian conveys that feeling so well when he sings, “If we’re waiting on the end times, I’m glad you're waiting with me” as the bookend in "Vaporwave Nightmare".

I am fascinated by band names; I love the idea of a group of people getting together and choosing an abstract collection of words to identify their music with. I believe I already know the origin of “Cloud District”, but for anyone who might not be familiar, where did the band name come from and why did you decide to stick with it? Were there any alternate band names floating around before landing on Cloud District?

Brian: So the earliest form of Cloud District was basically a high school cover band. One of our old bandmates proposed the name Cloud District and I remember we had a lot of trouble finding something we actually liked that we could all agree on. I don’t really remember the other ideas but I remember they were bad. Cloud District is kind of a reference to an area in Skyrim, but it is also just a decent set of words. I have really gone back and forth on whether I like the name over the years and I think it is sort of a running joke among musicians and bands that you basically always hate your band’s name at some point. For me, it is really hard to step outside of it and approach it like, “would I listen to a band called Cloud District?” You get an inertia where it is too much of a hassle to change it even if you feel it is not totally representative. I think we very briefly considered changing the band name to “Don’t Give Up, Skeleton” at one point long ago.

Anthony: You didn’t hear it from me….. Weed.

James: Wait I thought we were called taconic?

Vinny: I remember there was a time around the release of "Almanacs" that we were heavily considering changing the name of the band. None of us were particularly attached to it at that point because we were trying to distance ourselves from doing the cover band stuff Brian mentioned. Everyone proposed a bunch of really silly and awful band names then. The only name I can remember that I liked was “Watering Rabbits”, but that’s entirely because I told our friend Elaine and she did a great sketch of a rabbit sitting in a flower pot with a watering can sprinkling its head. We went on to release "Almanacs" under Cloud District and never changed the name from there. Elaine ended up doing the cover for "Don’t Give Up, Skeleton", so we still got to use some of her amazing art (@pixilaine on Instagram).

Do any of you have a favorite/least favorite track on this EP? What about them do you like or dislike? In addition to that, do you have a favorite or least favorite release of yours, whether it's just one song or an entire EP/album?

Adam: "Two Moons" is a favorite of mine. Although "Shield" and "Proof of Life" are more rhythmically nuanced - that is to say, “flashier” - I think "Two Moons" really exemplifies some of our best songwriting. It’s emotive, lush, and understated. The kind of song you’re proud to show your mom.

Brian: Right now "Proof of Life" is my favorite release! Haha. I am really proud of all of the songs individually and I am proud of each of them for different reasons. I think as a musician or artist you should always basically feel like you are trying to produce your best work and improving on the things you did before. I remember being very proud when I wrote the earliest draft of “Vaporwave Nightmare” and I am really proud that the whole thing was basically recorded in my apartment and still sounds good. Each song on this release has something that feels like an experiment or approached something in a new way. I think “Two Moons” is probably my current favorite because it combines the types of songs I like to write with a beautiful arrangement by the band which sort of happened organically and never would have happened without my bandmates. The ending of "Proof of Life" or the density of "Shield" is something I never could have come up with on my own and I’m really glad we captured that.

Anthony: "Two Moons" is the track I enjoy listening to on my own time out of all the tracks. Playing "Proof of Life" in a live setting was fun when we were still doing that.

James: There's something I love in every track, but I think "Shield" is currently my favorite. I’m a sucker for big loud vocal climaxes and really love how Shane was able to mix Brian's and my voices together at the end. I joined the band after "DGUS" was released, so speaking purely as a fan, that's one of my favorite records of all time.

Vinny: I feel like my favorite song is always alternating on this EP. My favorite song is whatever lyric or instrumental snippet is stuck in my head at the moment. So in this exact moment it's "Two Moons" where Brian is hitting the high note on “and you’re yelling at the dog”.

I think my all time favorite Cloud District song will always be "48". It’s always so huge when we play it live, I love how the recording came out, the samples we used in it are very emotionally evocative for me, it represents such a special moment in time for me.

The band's writing is so articulate and concise, each word seems thoroughly thought out and deliberate, how do you even begin writing a song? Is one member the primary writer or do you all play a part in crafting lyrics? Do you jot down lyrics first or do you write instrumentals and then pair lyrics to it, what is your process? Do you go through a million revisions before the song is done or do they, more or less, still resemble the first iteration upon completion? Are there ever any arguments over creative choices? How do you all come to agreement if/when that arises?

Brian: I am the primary lyric writer but other members have contributed bits here and there. As far as songwriting goes, for me each song is completely different. I generally am constantly writing down little fragments into my phone’s notes app and I use those to write. A lot of stuff I sort of steal short snippets from every day things like work, reading, conversations, television and rearrange them later. I wrote and rewrote "Proof of Life" and "Shield"’s lyrics in class, particularly the last verse of "Shield". Sometimes songs just seem to come fully formed though. I think "Vaporwave Nightmare" was that way. I remember finishing it and being like “wow, that’s great, where did that come from?” For this EP we did an insane amount of revision and reworking and demoing and re-recording. The songs were pretty much there by the time we went into the studio and we actually used a lot of our demos in the final product. A song can start either as an instrumental or as a lyric for me. I don’t think we had any major revisions where a song was completely unrecognizable by the end but there were a lot of steps along the way for some of these songs. I think the thing that makes Cloud District special is our collaboration and the creative uniqueness/influences that everyone brings to the band. We sometimes disagree about things and try to work it out amicably. I think for the most part if someone really hated something about a song we would strike it. One of the parts that gave us trouble on this EP was the last heavy section of “Proof of Life” which required a lot of working and reworking. Highly recommend the book “How to Write One Song” by Jeff Tweedy for anyone looking to get into songwriting.

James: I think everyone does a really good job putting the band first. I can't remember a moment where we got stuck between two ideas that didn't get resolved in a couple minutes. I think the best CD process has been when there's a lot of collaboration between members, "Two Moons" is a great example of that.

Vinny: As far as the bass goes, I prefer to have a rhythm guitar and drums present in the idea before I add to it so I can marry them together in the bass line. When I’m making a line, I’m usually humming or doing “doo’s and da’s” of what I want to come out of the bass to myself and finding those notes on the fretboard.

Like Brian said, he writes most of the lyrics but I’ve helped with some revisions and re-phrasing stuff. I can get really picky about syllabic spacing and rhythm so I’ll make him loop a part until the vocal rhythm is what I’m hearing in my mind. I need the instruments to be there before I do any of the lyrical stuff or I get too lost in how each vocal note should be and how the phrasing should match the rhythm.

As far as arguments or disagreements, I don’t think we run into that much during the writing process itself. We all have trust in each other and we all get excited hearing someone’s new idea. When we start demo-ing and recording, we’ll have discussions over stuff, but it's usually tiny things and not full rewrites.

To linger on the fact that it is clear from the way you speak and write that you are all very intelligent, talented, and well-read individuals, what are you currently reading, and do you have any favorite books you would like to recommend?

Brian: Thank you for the kind words. I feel like we might present as more put together people than I actually feel like I am. I feel very ramshackle in how I go about most things. I just finished reading some books by the author Denis Johnson which were really dark and challenging but really beautiful. I would highly recommend his book Train Dreams. I am almost always juggling about twelve books and not finishing any of them but recently I also have been making my way through the Wolf Hall books by Hilary Mantel which are incredible. I am trying to make a point to read about 50 books this year and so far I have completed about 32. I don’t think being well-read necessarily equates to intelligence or anything, but I find it really helps me creatively and feeling inspired by other people’s art to read regularly and broadly. Right now my favorite author is Raymond Carver and his concise but powerful short stories have been a big influence in my approach to songwrtiting lately.

James: Embarrassingly, I pretty much only listen to running audiobooks and podcasts. But for anyone in that world, Lauren Fleshman's book Good for a Girl and Kara Gouchers's The Longest Race are incredible beyond the world of distance running.

Vinny: All I read is garbage, grim dark books, video game/TTRPG lore, and escapist stuff lol. I’m lucky if I read one actual book per year. I’m currently reading Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy. I’m taking my time with it and enjoying it. I’m on the second book and might finish it by the end of the year. Dealing with real life is a nasty, horrible, sisyphean task, so I try to keep my reading to entertaining stuff so I stayed engaged with it.

I'd like to wish Brian a happy belated birthday! You have officially entered your 30s, how does it feel? I remember scouring YouTube for old Live Sessions of your songs, the earliest videos I could find were from around 2014, which feels like a lifetime ago. It must be surreal to look back and see how far you've come, musically as well as personally, especially throughout such a formative decade of your lives. Do you look back positively on the last ten years, are there any things you would go back and change?

Brian: Old! Cloud District has been a presence in my life for basically my entire adult life and it has let me meet so many people and see places and have experiences I never would have otherwise so I am very grateful for it. Cloud District has changed so much in terms of who is in the band and just how active the band has been over the years but it has always been about friendships at its core. I love watching old videos of us playing in Philly basements when none of us knew what we were doing every now and again. Being in a band in your thirties is a lot different. I think all of us are a lot less excited about certain opportunities than we were before and we have to be a lot more careful of our time management. Now two of our band members have kids, everyone has different obligations and schedules, and we have things like mortgages and jobs that don’t let you just go on tour or play a show in another state just because someone asked you. We are also spread out geographically now so we haven’t really been in the same place together for probably over a year. Being a successful full-time musician is a very hard lifestyle and I don’t know if I’m cut out for it. I would definitely change a lot about how we approached the band over the years but obviously you can only learn as you grow. I have learned a lot of lessons but I had to make the mistakes to learn them. One important change I would make in hindsight is not to invest in a band van in January of 2020.

Anthony: Brian is the second youngest in the band of five of us. We just love making music together and it's wonderful.

Vinny: I’m the baby! As I write this, I have 16 days left of my twenties. Cloud District has been a part of my entire adult life. It’s been great to have so many experiences and create so many memories these past 10+ years. I’m a complete introvert and borderline agoraphobic, so without the band I would never have traveled as far or seen as many places as we have. Everyone in the band has been great friends for most of the time as well and it's been a constant source of comfort to know I could depend on them.

I don’t really have any regrets in regards to the band. There’s some shows I wouldn’t go back and play. Like the show we played in Nyack, NY where we drove 2 hours through a blizzard just to get there and play for the one other band that made it who was also on the bill. I wish I could have invested more time in learning music theory stuff, but sometimes I think it helps having a dummy like me around so we don’t get too into the weeds while writing and keeping it light and fun.

You all have done a phenomenal job breathing creativity, freshness, and growth into the band during your tenure in Cloud District. How did all of you meet and connect? Whose idea was it to start a band? Do you have any fun facts or silly stories about each other?

Brian: The band has had so many line up changes it would be hard to list them here, haha. Basically the earliest iteration of the band was a high school cover band to play a local fair with the name Cloud District. Vinny joined soon after that became kind of a more serious thing.We met in gym class and have been friends since like 2010 or 2011. I met Anthony at community college and they joined shortly after that. I believe they came in to record upright bass on "Solstice" and then they were immediately added to the band. Adam we met on craigslist because we needed a drummer. He recorded on "DGU,S" and then moved to California and in the interim we had a few other people playing drums (including Anthony). He moved back to New York a few years ago and rejoined the band. James we first met when our bands played a show together. He filled in for us at a show and then gradually just became a member because we’re friends. He was in bands with Adam when they were younger and is in another band with Anthony and Adam called Taconic. So many stories of being in a band for 10 years, it’s hard to choose. My fun fact about Vinny is that he can control the wind with his mind, he has had several encounters with a possibly magical toad, and he has an encyclopedic command of DnD rules. My fun fact about Anthony is that they used to bake vegan chocolate cakes as a merch item to sell at our shows and that they have played every instrument in our band at some point. My fun fact about James is that he has an anarchy tattoo and owes me $200. My fun fact about Adam is that you would not believe how much he has spent on tea.

Anthony: I met Brian and Vinny in college, Adam on craigslist, and James through Adam. My favorite story about Adam is that he ghosted us on craigslist the first time he responded to our drummer ad, then responded to the ad again months later where it all then worked out.

James: I met Adam back in probably 2009 or something and we were in a band for a few years. I think I met Brian and Vinny when we played a show together in Warwick around when "DGUS" came out. My fun fact about Anthony and Adam is we went on a group overnight hike that was 26 miles long, many lessons were learned during that time…

Vinny: I used to be in a metalcore band in highschool if you can even call it that. It was just me and a buddy playing guitar and bass along to songs blaring out of his TV. We never locked down a drummer and never had a band name. I had been playing bass for a year or two when I met Brian. We became friends from there and have been stuck together since then. I used to practically live at his parents house during summer vacations in high school. We started the cover band. Brian was just doing guitar then and wanted to branch out and start trying out vocals and songwriting, so that’s when we began the process of becoming Cloud District. We started playing local DIY shows during college and Anthony was there and basically said “I wrote this keyboard part to one of your songs” so we added them to the band. We ended up adding Adam after the craigslist debacle and were immediately blown away by his technical drumming skills. James joined the band after laying down some great ideas in the post-covid remote recording world we find ourselves in now.

Fun facts: I’ve seen Brian throw up what must’ve been nearly his entire body weight after eating too many off brand vanilla oreos when we were teens and my dad freaked out thinking we were drinking and driving. Nope, just the dang shoprite oreos. Anthony is a masterful cook and has made some of the best tasting food I’ve ever had. Adam is one of the most imaginative and creative D&D players I’ve ever played with. James’ name is my middle name!

The Cloud District Instagram page says “Just some people taking pictures of cats” in the bio, and over the years following you I have been blessed with so many pictures of cats on my feed. Are you all cat-lovers? Did you grow up with cats, and when did your love for cats start? Do you have any beef with dogs? Please tell me all about your pets, this is peak journalism right now and the country demands answers about the animals!

Also, if you could have any animal in the world, as a pet (in this hypothetical, it would be safe and not try to kill you), what would you choose?

Brian: Despite the rumors I do not have any beef with dogs. I love animals of all kinds. One of my goals in life is to be on good terms with a wild crow. I have a cat named Maeve who is a perfect angel. She was a stray, and Anthony actually got her used to humans.

Anthony: I grew up with cats and dogs, currently the owner of three lovely cats (Cider, Ruben, Vlad). No beef in general with dogs, but I do have beef with two specific dogs… they know who they are.

James: I am very much a dog person, I have a German Shorthaired Pointer named Crash Bandicoot.

Vinny: I have had basically every pet a person can legally own because I grew up on a farm. Cows, ducks, chickens, pigs, turkeys, rabbits, lizards, fish, rats, a cockatiel, parakeets, cats, dogs, and some others I’m probably forgetting. I’ve always been passionate about animals and always had them in my life. I have very fond memories of mixing powdered milk for calves when I was around 4, spending summers on the farm with a barn cat curled up in my lap sleeping while I stare at the lilac trees and the pond, and chasing ducklings around the yard. Currently I have 2 cats. Ricky Matsui and Theodora. They’re both gray shorthair tabbies. Ricky has a black nose while Theo has a pink nose. Theo’s 6 years old and Ricky is 6 months old. They’re all I can have in my tiny apartment, but I’m always annoying my fiancée with the looming “We need to start the farm…”

With every order of “Don't Give Up, Skeleton” on vinyl, you also receive a random card from “Magic: The Gathering”. Are all of you fans of Magic? How did you get into it? Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for first-time players? I will admit, I don't know a whole lot about Magic (I was always more of a Pokémon guy), but I have many friends that are going to help me ask you these more specific questions:

What format do you play? Legacy, Pioneer, Pauper, Standard?

What are your favorite colors to play?

Do you have an all time favorite Magic card?

Brian: Not every "DGU,S" vinyl order ended up with Magic cards. I definitely missed some and it was kind of an afterthought. I had just attended the recent Bloomburrow prerelease when Anthony and I were packing all the vinyl so I threw in what I opened into the orders. Anthony actually taught me to play and I tend to play Blue-based strategies but I’m a tinkerer and love trying out decks of all kinds. Right now I play online and like to draft, but I enjoy playing commander if we are ever together in person. If I had to pick a favorite magic card today it would probably be Preordain. It’s simple and elegant, and it was one of the first cantrips I ever played with.

Anthony: I learned magic in high school and I taught all the early members of CD magic right as I joined. I used to play a lot of legacy, but only EDH/Brawl/drafts nowadays. Grixis colors all day, but I have been warming up to green. If I had to pin down a favorite card it would be grave titan, its not very good, but as a beginner I thought it ruled.

James: I play Yu-Gi-Oh and have been trying to incorporate sending YGO cards in our merch orders since joining the band (to no avail). Why would I “play land, pass” when I can spend 20 minutes comboing in a game lasts 2 turns max? Yeah Thoughtseize is scary but have you ever gone up against a 4-mat Apollousa with I:P protection? YGO is the far superior game and I'll die on this hill.

Vinny: Anthony taught me and Brian to play Magic shortly after they joined the band. My first deck was Bestial Strength from Magic 2014 that I ended up modding into a mono-green big creatures deck. I once glitched out one of the Duels of the Planeswalkers video games on Xbox 360 when I swung Craterhoof Behemoth for over 500 damage in a single turn. The damage counter in the game got stuck counting the damage infinitely and I had to turn off my Xbox to get it to stop. I’m a simple man: turn mana cards, play big creatures, swing for big damage. As we got more into magic, I fell in love with tribal decks, so anything I build now would probably be something along those lines. I haven’t played in a few years though and now all the cards look like books to me with all the rules and special conditions on them. I’d probably be a complete beginner if I started playing again. Commander is my favorite format but those games take hours and hours to finish when we have our full group playing. My favorite card is Primeval Titan. I didn’t realize I could use it to grab special or legendary lands when we first started playing, I would just use it to grab basic forests lol.

Here is an obligatory, cliché question, who are some of your biggest inspirations as musicians? When did you first start writing songs and playing your instruments? Are there any bands you've been listening to that you would like to give a shoutout?

Brian: A short list of all timers for me: Radiohead, John K. Samson, Bad Books, John Prine, The Felice Brothers, and Bob Dylan. So many different artists have made an impression on me in different key ways it is impossible to list. Recently obsessed with Little Kid, Babehoven, MJ Lenderman, Blue Ranger, Built to Spill, Charlotte Cornfield, Merce Lemon, Wednesday and Second Grade.

Anthony: Big overall inspirations: Explosions in the Sky, Caspian, Title Fight, Porter Robinson, Lane 8, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Pelican, Madeon. Been playing tunes since I was like 10, started on piano and taught myself guitar/bass/drums/several others over the years. Shoutout to Sadness, Liturgy, and Good Sleepy.

James: I started playing guitar when I was around 12 and starting writing my own songs almost immediately. Biggest influences are Coheed, Taking Back Sunday, Kevin Devine, The Venetia Fair, Circa. Currently listening to a lot of Citizen, Hot Mulligan, PUP, Balance and Composure

Vinny: I always loved music. My mom would always have Hair Metal on when we’d be driving around doing errands and stuff. I was really into heavy metal, nu metal, metalcore, and hard rock. Then Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue released his autobiography The Heroin Diaries in 2007. I got it, read it and embarrassingly thought it was the coolest thing ever. I admired the mystique of the bass guitar and the space it held in the composition of a rock band so I saved up for 2 summers and bought an Ibanez Mikro 4 string bass in 2009. I began watching youtube tutorials and slowly learning tabs of Bullet for My Valentine, System of a Down, Breaking Benjamin, Rammstein (“Rosenrot” was the first song I ever learned). When I started playing with Brian in the cover band, we’d do Weezer, Green Day, The Killers, and more alternative stuff like that. I got into punk stuff like Rancid, Rise Against, and Against Me! Around that time as well. I think the longest lasting influence on me is Modest Mouse. The bass on "Lonesome Crowded West" and "Good News" reshaped how I thought about playing and still inspires me now. Of course there’s all the emo, DIY stuff, math rock, jazz, country, and everything else mixed in those 15 years as well

Some stuff I’m listening to now: Heart Attack Man, Rivers of Nihil, Microwave, Oliver Houston, Rozwell Kid, Ovlov, Head North, Paranoid Void, Mugshot, Glass Cloud, Night Verses

Do any of you have other musical projects? What other bands are you a part of/have been a part of in the past? What can you tell me about these projects? Is there anything you'd like to promote? What should we expect in the future?

Brian: I started a band called Big Pleasant earlier this year and released one song so far. I have been working on about an album of songs that I hope to release sometime soonish but I’m still a long ways away. I’m hoping to use this band to play some local shows and get back into the swing of performing and as an outlet to share some of the songs I have been writing. It’s also a bit of a challenge for myself to see what I can create mostly by myself at home.

Anthony: I have released music under a couple of names. Glass Grass is an upbeat electronic project that released an ep a few years back. Just made this songs for the sake of writing tunes and decided to share them with the world. I am also affiliated with the band Taconic, not sure what I do in the band at this moment, but they haven’t kicked me out yet and I have already used both of my “quit the band cards”. Taconic wrote a fantastic Album thats coming out hopefully sometime next year, get your ears ready for that! Coalescence was a droney electronic soundtrack project I released a few tracks on. Was going through some shit and got lost in making those weird songs while learning a DAW. I am writing a bit right now, not sure what is just for me atm and what will trickle into other projects, but I am very much enjoying working on my little tunes.

James: I play in another band with Anthony and Adam called taconic (shoutout to our other members Diane and Conor), we just recorded a 9-track album this summer that's currently being mixed. I also play in a project called City Traffic which has a few EPs out and another one on the way hopefully before the end of the year.

I'm sure there must have been a lot of hurdles trying to record “Proof of Life” with life getting in the way and a lot of members being in different states, which makes the existence of this EP that much more incredible and impressive. Are there any production stories you'd like to share? Has the band kind of figured out an effective way to keep working on music together or are there still a lot of obstacles you need to find solutions to? Can we expect more from Cloud District in the near future?

Brian: Stand out moments for me was when we rehearsed "Two Moons" for the first time which at that point had been kind of a barebones draft between Anthony and I. It immediately took on a new life and we added that heavy section and final section. Felt a bit like creative lightning striking and it had been so long since we had wrote in a room together writing songs that it felt very special. Also James recording the last part of "Two Moons" in one take at 1am was pretty impressive. Also Corianne laying down an insanely good bassline to "Archimedes’ Death Ray" in like three takes in Anthony’s apartment like it was no big deal was very impressive. I think this EP has really been a challenge in trying to figure out how to make time for the band while also managing our adult lives. I think that is something we are still trying to work on and haven’t totally figured out. Now we are quite spread out geographically, so we can only work together remotely and I don’t know when we will next be in a room together or playing a show. All of us have other obligations which make it hard to find time to be creative or to collaborate and that’s something I am hoping we can improve on. This EP was made across a couple of different studios as well as just in our apartments. We currently use discord to communicate but I think that leaves a lot to be desired. This EP took so long to make and ran into some road blocks that I do not want to speculate on what or when we will have something new to share. I will just say that we have a ton of songs in the pipeline at various stages and they are all really exciting and good. I’m personally really excited about the idea of getting to collaborate more and try new things.The fun thing about songwriting is that you can start with a pretty barebones idea, and then have a really impressive song with just a bit of effort and it often just feels like something unpredictable and magical has happened without you knowing it.

James: The “fuck!” at the beginning of "Buy It for Life” was a genuine reaction Adam had to missing his drum hit, really loved seeing that making it to the record. As a humble outsider who came in and nailed it, I'd like to think we can beat the 6 year timeline for our next release.

Anthony: We wrote most of the record remotely with either Brian and I collecting all the stems in projects over the course of the past few years. There is new Cloud District in the pipeline, but it will be completed as we are able to.

Vinny: Brian found some old demo that we recorded probably in 2018 or 2019 of "Proof of Life" (the song) which at the time we were just calling “Window”. It was such a different version of the song. The tempo was much slower, the guitars were way calmer, the drums were entirely different, the outro was nonexistent. It’s really great to have a reference point for how much a song can change into what is now.

We mostly use discord for communication and demo sharing now. We have channels specific for little ideas and each specific song in progress. As well as channels for all the little things that come with running a band.

It’s been super difficult for me personally dealing with being long distance. I really don’t like working with a DAW. The whole process becomes extremely convoluted and frustrating and it constantly makes me lose motivation to work on stuff. I like being in a room with everyone and feeling the sound waves surround me and ground me to the songwriting process. But working on some music is better than working on none at all. It always brightens my day when I get a notification on my watch while I’m driving around on a forklift at work that someone posted something new to the little ideas channel.

Thank you again for speaking with me and letting me discuss your newest release! This has been an absolute blast and a dream come true, I have so much gratitude and respect for you all and this has really been a wonderful experience!

Once again, you can stream Cloud District’s “Proof of Life” on all streaming platforms, and you can find all of their very important links HERE!

( https://linktr.ee/clouddistrictband )