Cloud

Cloud was an evolving band, collective, and solo project from Long Island’s Tyler Taormina. After first appearing for Audio Antihero on the ‘REGAL VS. STEAMBOAT‘ charity compilation for Rape Crisis, Cloud issued their first album through the label with 2013’s classic ‘Comfort Songs.’

‘Comfort Songs.’ Wildly creative, earnest and emotional, this Autumnal guitar record found fans in Pitchfork, Drowned in Sound, XFM‘s John Kennedy, BBC 6 Music‘s Tom Ravenscroft, KCRW’s Eric J. Lawrence, and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins / Bella Union).

After experimenting with new sounds, styles, and seasons on 2015’s ‘Zen Summer,’ the now Los Angeles-based Taormina returned to Audio Antihero in 2018 for his highly acclaimed finale: ‘Plays with Fire.’ The record was simultaneously his most experimental and concise, as well as his most confident and artistically vulnerable.

Committed more to art itself than to any particular medium, Taormina’s expression and output soon shifted from music to film, where he wrote, produced and directed titles like ‘Wild Flies,’ ‘Ham on Rye‘ and ‘Happer’s Comet‘ as a part of the Omnes Films collective.

His most recent film, ‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,’ was produced by Michael Cera, and opened in theatres on November 8th, 2024. It received praise from RogerEbert.com, AV Club, New York Times, Chicago Reader, New Yorker, and many others.

Despite Taormina’s success as a filmmaker, people didn’t forget Cloud. With the news that Taormina would be moving away from music, 34 artists (including Winter, Benjamin Shaw, Magana, and Candy Says, as well as Hefner’s Jack Hayter and Antony Harding) came together to give him a proper send-off with ‘The Desperation Club – A Cloud Tribute Compilation.’

Cloud Press:

“Airing out his demons through caustic, self-loathing lyrics and homemade homages to one of the most influential auteurs of the early 21st century…Astoundingly accomplished.” – Pitchfork

“Cloud know their way around a pop song, and for all of the album’s off-beat charms, and occasionally hard-to-grasp content, it’s a true pop heart which can be found at the centre of every song that helps to make this such a rewarding listen – 8/10.” – Drowned In Sound

“Blends glossy dream-pop production with deeply confessional lyrics.” – Stereogum

“Comfort Songs holds a strong claim as one of best albums under the ill-defined umbrella of ‘indie-rock’ that has been released in the last decade or so – 10/10.” – Contact Music

“A madcap romp through far-flung styles and psych-addled planes of existence.” – The Line of Best Fit

“The world will fall in love with this. Unity, unity for all the lost young souls. You’ve done it, you’ve done it. I wish I could’ve cheered, not just in type, but literally, jumping and crying.” – Collapse Board

“Known for experimental folk and colorful vocals, his sound conjures a gelatinous joyride for the listener. Flattened synths pan from left to right as a cheery keyboard arpeggiates. There’s an immediate fog of excitement. The artist’s vocals cascade across the track like an ocean, sometimes converging into chordal vocoder tirades.” – Indie Shuffle

“Cloud is simultaneously DIY—there’s no disputing that Taormina’s vision is the one being heard—and a symbiotic relationship between its leader and the people he trusts the most. This arrangement is out of necessity; Cloud has been, and always will be, a project about navigating conflicting, hefty emotions, and this process just can’t be done without the help of close friends.” – Post-Trash

“Exposing a field’s worth of indie-pop blossoms that teem with vibrant colors and exuberant lifeforms. There’s not a cloud in sight.” – The Alternative

“…A delicate vocal which hints at something darker.” – CLASH Magazine

“Emerging 21 year old singer/producer Cloud forges a rich, heartening sound around a passionate vocal, dressing his narratives in shimmering instrumentation, like Conor Oberst in the throes of an obsession with psychedelia.” – Rough Trade / The Guardian (Tracks of the Week)

“Tyler Taormina veers through emotions and narratives over the convention-blurring full-length, crooning of love and life and fear and anger over a stunning backdrop of fuzzy guitars, shuffling rhythms and clarion brass. It’s a record sodden with heavyweight feeling that gets you right inside the inner machinations of a troubled soul; it’s simultaneously heartbreaking and fascinating.” – Bearded Magazine

“Tyler Taormina remains an unsung secret, but not for much longer. Under the name CLOUD, he’s released two bright-eyed, wondrous LPs… On both releases, he sounds like he possesses the keys to another universe, flying without gravity, lightness defining his every step.” – DIY MAG

“In ‘Comfort Songs’ I find a time for reflection, a confirmation of life and its wonder, and a sense of belonging – to whom, I’m not certain, but to someone. And I know, years down the road, this will remain a landmark album for me, with just the same resonant power. Hopefully, dear reader, you’ll be moved, too.” – Gold Flake Paint