Crack Cloud | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Calgary, Alberta, Canada [1] |
Genres | Art punk, post-punk new wave, avant garde avant pop, electropunk, industrial hip hop, experimental |
Years active | 2015–present |
Labels | Crack Cloud Media Studio Jagjaguwar Big Love Records Meat Machine Tin Angel Deranged |
Members |
|
Past members |
|
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 26 July 2024, via American independent label Jagjaguwar. [7]
Formed in 2015, Crack Cloud started as the solo project of lead vocalist and drummer Zach Choy while he was living in Calgary, Alberta. [2] [8] 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. [5] Choy stated that the purpose of Crack Cloud is a "healing mechanism" [9] 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. [10] [11]
Crack Cloud released their first self-titled EP, in 2016, followed by another the next year called Anchoring Point in 2017. [12] These two EP's were re-released as a self-titled compilation via Deranged and Tin Angel/Meat Machine Records on 1 June 2018. [13] Following those releases, the group toured internationally and featured at several music festivals including Levitation, [14] End of the Road, [15] and Roskilde [16] which garnered the group considerable exposure between North America, the United Kingdom and Europe respectively.[ citation needed ]
Crack Cloud released their debut studio album, Pain Olympics, via Meat Machine Records on 17 July 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". [17]
On 8 July 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. [18]
On 11 May 2022, Crack Cloud announced their second album, Tough Baby, released 16 September 2022, via Meat Machine, with the release of the album's first single, Please Yourself. [19] The album's self-titled second single was released on 8 July 2022. [20] Costly Engineered Illusion, the album's third single was released 1 September. 2022. [21]
On 15 May 2024, the group revealed they had signed to American independent label, Jagjaguwar, and announced their third studio album, Red Mile , set to be released 26 July. 2024. The announcement was in-tandem with the album's first single, "Blue Kite". [22] Follow-up single, "The Medium" was released soon after on 18 June. 2024. [23]
Current
Former
Associates
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Image Craft" | 2016 | Anchoring Point |
"Swish Swash" | 2017 | |
"Uncanny Valley" | 2018 | Non-album single |
"The Next Fix" | 2019 | Pain Olympics |
"Crackin Up" | Non-album single | |
"Ouster Stew" | 2020 | Pain Olympics |
"Tunnel Vision" | ||
"Favour Your Fortune" | ||
"Please Yourself" | 2022 | Tough Baby |
"Tough Baby" | ||
"Costly Engineered Illusion" | ||
"Blue Kite" | 2024 | Red Mile |
"The Medium" |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Elastic" (ZDBT & Slim Media Player featuring Prado) | 2021 | ELASTIC |
"Preoccupation" Black Marble | Fast Idol | |
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]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Crack Cloud | Hi-Fidelity Award | Won |
The Turtles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965 who achieved several top 40 hits, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby" (1966), "Happy Together" (1967), "She'd Rather Be with Me" (1967), "Elenore" (1968), and "You Showed Me" (1969).
Forty Licks is a double compilation album by the Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, Forty Licks is notable for being the first retrospective to combine their formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed by ABKCO Records, with their self-owned post-1970 material, distributed at the time by Virgin/EMI but now distributed by ABKCO's own distributor Universal Music Group. Four new songs are included on the second disc. The album was a commercial success, as it reached No. 2 on both UK and US charts. Concurrently with the album's release, the Stones embarked on the successful, year-long international Licks Tour, which would result in the subsequent Live Licks album being released in 2004.
Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Romani and Ukrainian music mixed with punk and dub, incorporating accordion and violin.
Jubilation is the tenth and final studio album by Canadian/American rock group the Band. Recorded in the spring of 1998 in Levon Helm's home studio in Woodstock, New York, it was released on September 15, 1998. For the first time since the group reformed without guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson, there were more originals than covers. Songs include "Last Train to Memphis", featuring guest guitarist Eric Clapton, Garth Hudson's solo instrumental closer "French Girls", Rick Danko's "High Cotton" and the ode to Ronnie Hawkins, "White Cadillac".
Duets is the first collaboration studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1993. The album debuted at No. 7 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum in January 1994 by the RIAA.
Foreign Affair is the seventh solo studio album by Tina Turner, released on September 13, 1989, through Capitol Records. It was Turner's third album release after her massively successful comeback five years earlier with Private Dancer and her third and last album with the label. Although the album was not a major success in Turner's native United States, it was a huge international hit, especially in Europe. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, her first number one album there. Dan Hartman produced most of the tracks on the album, including the hit single "The Best", which has gone on to become one of Turner's signature songs.
What You Don't Know is the second studio album by American girl group Exposé, released on June 13, 1989, by Arista Records. It was made available in vinyl, cassette, and CD formats. The remixes of the tracks "What You Don't Know" and "When I Looked at Him" appeared only on the CD.
Metronomy are an English electronic music band, formed in Totnes in 1999. Their lineup consists of founding member and leader Joseph Mount, Oscar Cash, Anna Prior, Olugbenga Adelekan, and Michael Lovett. Their music consists of vocal and instrumental electronic pop music.
"Baby, What a Big Surprise" is a ballad written by Chicago's then bassist/singer Peter Cetera, which appeared on their album Chicago XI (1977), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from the album reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Maximum Joy are an English post-punk band from Bristol, England, formed in 1981 and reunited in 2015.
Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold, Skyler Skjelset, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo, and Morgan Henderson. Founding members Pecknold and Skjelset have been the only constants through the group's history, with the former serving as leader and principal songwriter.
The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets. This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves, debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney. The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.
What a Wonderful World is the twenty-ninth studio album by Canadian artist Anne Murray. It was released by StraightWay Records on EMI Music Canada's behalf in October 1999. The album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, her only No. 1 on any American album chart. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA, her highest selling album since 1981's Christmas Wishes. The album sold 2 million units worldwide by November 2007.
Brit Floyd is a Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 2011 in Liverpool, United Kingdom by Damian Darlington.
TWRP, formerly known as Tupper Ware Remix Party, is a Canadian rock band originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Initially founded in 2007, the band moved to Toronto in 2011 with a change in members and musical direction. Their current lineup consists of keyboardist and vocalist Doctor Sung, guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch, and drummer Havve Hogan.
Leonid and Friends is a Chicago tribute band based in Moscow. They began as a YouTube band, and now occasionally tour as well. Leonid Vorobyev, is the founder and leader of the band. Vorobyev is a multi-instrumentalist, a recording studio sound engineer and choir conductor by training, at the East Siberian Institute of Culture. Vorobyev made his first Chicago video recording of the song "Brand New Love Affair" in 2014.
Pain Olympics is the debut studio album by Canadian musical collective, Crack Cloud, released July 17, 2020 via Meat Machine Records. The album was preceded by three singles, "The Next Fix", "Ouster Stew" and "Tunnel Vision" released between May 2019 until June 2020 respectively.
Tough Baby is the second studio album by Canadian musical collective, Crack Cloud, released on September 16, 2022, via the group's independent imprint, Crack Cloud Media Studio, and Meat Machine Records. The album was preceded by three singles, "Please Yourself", "Tough Baby" and "Costly Engineered Illusion" released May 11, July 8, and September 1. 2022, respectively.
Red Mile is the third studio album by Canadian musical collective, Crack Cloud, released July 26, 2024, through American independent label, Jagjagwuar. The album was preceded by the singles, "Blue Kite" and "The Medium" released on May 15 and June 18. 2024, respectively.
Apartel are a Filipino soul and R&B supergroup. They currently consist of vocalist Ely Buendia, guitarist Redge Concepcion, bassist Jun Lazo, drummer Pat Sarabia, percussionist Deej Rodriguez, and a changing lineup of touring members.