Crack Cloud Explained

Crack Cloud
Origin:Calgary, Alberta, Canada[1]
Genre:art punk, post-punk
new wave, avant garde
avant pop, electropunk, industrial hip hop, experimental
Years Active:2015–present
Label:Crack Cloud Media Studio
Jagjaguwar
Big Love Records
Meat Machine
Tin Angel
Deranged
Associated Acts:N0V3L, Peace Chord, Military Genius
Current Members:
  • Zach Choy
  • William Choy
  • Bryce Cloghesy
  • Jesse Atkey
  • Aleem Khan
  • Eve Adams
  • Mackenzie Cruse
  • Emma Acs
  • Nat Philipps
  • Aidan Pontarini
Past Members:
  • Patrick Seager
  • Jon Reynolds
  • Will Johnson
  • Henry Hsieh
  • Jon Varley
  • Noah Varley
  • Daniel Robertson
  • Mohammad Sharar
  • Garnet Aroynk
  • Jared Drake

Crack Cloud are a Canadian musical and multimedia collective currently based in Calgary, Alberta, formed by drummer and frontman Zach Choy.[2] Alongside the group's core musical members who perform live as a band, a large number of multimedia artists are also associated and operate simultaneously as an in-house production studio within the group, due to the project's strong focus on visual storytelling.[3] [4] [5]

To date, they have released three studio albums: Pain Olympics (2020), Tough Baby (2022)[6] and their third album Red Mile, which was released at July 26, 2024 via American independent label Jagjaguwar.[7]

History

Formed in 2015, Crack Cloud started as the solo project of lead vocalist and drummer Zach Choy while he was living in Calgary, Alberta. Soon after, the project moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2018, where most of its members met through various addiction recovery and mental health programmes both as participants and as support workers. Choy stated that the purpose of Crack Cloud is a "healing mechanism" [8] The group's logo is also notable as an appropriation of the exclamation mark used by Concerned Children's Advertisers, a series of public service announcements aimed towards children on various topics (drug abuse, peer pressure, exercise, etc.) that were broadcast on Canadian television during 1990s until the mid-2000s.[9] [10]

Crack Cloud released their first self-titled EP, in 2016, followed by another the next year called Anchoring Point in 2017. These two EP's were re-released as a self-titled compilation via Deranged and Tin Angel/Meat Machine Records on June 1, 2018.[11] Following those releases, the group toured internationally and featured at several music festivals including Levitation,[12] End of the Road,[13] and Roskilde[14] which garnered the group considerable exposure between North America, the United Kingdom and Europe respectively.

Crack Cloud released their debut studio album, Pain Olympics, via Meat Machine Records on July 17, 2020, preceded by four singles, The Next Fix, Ouster Stew, Tunnel Vision and Favour Your Fortune, released between May 2019 until October 2020. The record was received favourably, based on the album receiving an average score of 87 from 8 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

On July 8, 2021, the group were named as the winners of the Hi-Fidelity Award, a prize for Canadian recording artists use of innovation within their music videos at the 2021 Prism Prize.[16]

On May 11, 2022, Crack Cloud announced their second album, Tough Baby, released September 16, 2022 via Meat Machine, with the release of the album's first single, Please Yourself.[17] The album's self-titled second single was released on July 8, 2022.[18] Costly Engineered Illusion, the album's third single was released September 1. 2022.[19]

On May 15, 2024, the group revealed they had signed to American independent label, Jagjaguwar, and announced their third studio album, Red Mile, set to be released July 26. 2024. The announcement was in-tandem with the album's first single, "Blue Kite".[20] Follow-up single, "The Medium" was released soon after on June 18. 2024. [21]

Members

Current

Former

Associates

Discography

Studio Albums
Live Albums
EPs
Compilations

Music videos

As "Crack Cloud"

TitleYearAlbum
"Image Craft"2016Anchoring Point
"Swish Swash"2017
"Uncanny Valley"2018
"The Next Fix"2019Pain Olympics
"Crackin Up"
"Ouster Stew"2020Pain Olympics
"Tunnel Vision"
"Favour Your Fortune"
"Please Yourself"2022Tough Baby
"Tough Baby"
"Costly Engineered Illusion"
"Blue Kite"2024Red Mile
"The Medium"

As "Crack Cloud Media Studio"

TitleYearAlbum
"Elastic"
(ZDBT & Slim Media Player featuring Prado)		2021ELASTIC
"Preoccupation"
Black Marble		Fast Idol

Recognition

Prism Prize

The Prism Prize is a national, juried award established to recognize outstanding artistry in the Canadian music video production community. The Hi-Fidelity Award is presented to a recording artist (band or musician) who has used video art to represent their work in a consistently creative and innovative way.[32]

|-| 2021| Crack Cloud| Hi-Fidelity Award| |}

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Crack Cloud: 'We make art about destructive patterns so that we can reflect, contextualise and correct them'. Sean. Greenhorn. 2 May 2019. 15 August 2020. The List.
  2. Web site: Crack Cloud: Pain Olympics. Pitchfork. Stuart. Berman. 21 July 2020. 15 August 2020.
  3. Web site: SALVATION ARMY: CRACK CLOUD. DIY. Lisa. Wright. 17 July 2020. 15 August 2020.
  4. Web site: Crack Cloud: how they used punk as a therapy against addiction. The Guardian. Dave. Simpson. 16 November 2018. 15 August 2020.
  5. Web site: Clear Skies: An Interview With Crack Cloud. The Quietus. Patrick. Clarke. 8 August 2019. 15 August 2020.
  6. Web site: The Quietus News Crack Cloud Detail Second Album, 'Tough Baby' . 2022-08-16 . The Quietus . en-us.
  7. Web site: Crack Cloud have confirmed their new album 'Red Mile', and their biggest headline show to date. Sam. Taylor. 15 May 2024. Readdork.com. 26 July 2024.
  8. Crack Cloud interview: ‘It's based on true shit’. 23 July 2020. 15 August 2020. 3VOOR12.
  9. Web site: Canadian Trademarks Details: Concerned Children's Advertisers & Design — 1181945 – Canadian Trademarks Database – Intellectual property and copyright – Canadian Intellectual Property Office – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada .
  10. Web site: PSA Collection – Concerned Children's Advertisers . .
  11. Web site: Introducing: Canada collective Crack Cloud construct something radically new out of post-punk's past. Le Guess Who?. 30 July 2018. 15 August 2020.
  12. Web site: Crack Cloud . Levitation-france.com .
  13. Web site: Damon Albarn, Crack Cloud & more added to End of the Road Festival 2021 lineup. Endoftheroadfestival.com . 5 August 2021 .
  14. Web site: Roskilde festival 2019 the Cure Crack Cloud Black Midi. Louderthanwar.com . 12 July 2019 .
  15. Web site: Pain Olympics by Crack Cloud. 15 August 2020. Metacritic.
  16. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/prism-prize-thirteen-theo-kapidistrias-haviah-mighty-1.6118145 "Haviah Mighty's Thirteen wins 2021 Prism Prize for top Canadian music video"
  17. Web site: Crack Cloud Announce Tough Baby, Share "Please Yourself" Video. Pastemagazine.com . 9 May 2022 .
  18. Web site: Crack Cloud Share "Tough Baby," Title Track from Their Forthcoming Album . Pastemagazine.com. 6 July 2022 .
  19. Web site: PCRACK CLOUD – COSTLY ENGINEERED ILLUSION (Official Video) . . 1 September 2022.
  20. Web site: Crack Cloud Announce New Album 'Red Mile': Hear "Blue Kite". Stereogum.com. 15 May 2024. 26 July 2024.
  21. https://readdork.com/news/crack-cloud-single-the-medium/
  22. Web site: Crack Cloud | Pitch Perfect PR. Sam. McAllister. Pitchperfectpr.com. 26 July 2024.
  23. Web site: Peace Chord. Tinangelrecords.com. 26 July 2024.
  24. Web site: Reddit - Dive into anything. Reddit.com. 26 July 2024.
  25. Web site: Reddit - Dive into anything. Reddit.com. 26 July 2024.
  26. Web site: Canadian supergroup Mock Media share their debut single, "Modern Visions". The Line of Best Fit. 26 July 2024.
  27. Web site: For One Day, BC Activists Handed Out Clean Heroin and Cocaine'. Jen. St. Denis. 15 April 2021. The Tyee.
  28. Web site: Overdose Awareness Rally DTES 2021 . YouTube.
  29. Web site: Crack Cloud. Bandcamp. 2 May 2016. 15 August 2020.
  30. Web site: Crack Cloud – Anchoring Point. BeatRoute. 27 June 2017. 15 August 2020. Jamie. McNamara.
  31. Web site: Crack Cloud: The Vancouver collective finding recovery in dancing post-punk. Loud and Quiet. 11 July 2018. Liam. Konemann. 15 August 2020.
  32. Web site: 2021 Hi-Fidelity Award – Prism Prize. Prism Prize.

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