The new album from Montague-based indie folk band Cloudbelly, “Throwing the Game,” comes out on Friday, Nov. 13, and the band has already shared five singles from the album, each with its own video.
“I’m ready for it to be out in the world,” said Corey Laitman, Cloudbelly’s singer and songwriter. “It was long to make. We went over to Nate Mondschein, my drummer and producer, every Wednesday for about a year and a half, and that’s how we recorded it. It was a very piecemeal process, but fun and I’m proud of it.”
Cloudbelly’s lineup includes Mondschein, lead guitarist Sam Perry, and guitarist and vocalist Ciarra Fragale. The band will celebrate the album’s release with a show at The Drake in Amherst on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.
The event is a double-album release show, with Heath-based Jake Klar & Blue Ranger also performing to celebrate the new album, “Years Go Through Me Now.” That album was released on Bandcamp on Nov. 6, with a full release planned for January.
“Throwing the Game” follows Cloudbelly’s 2024 release “i know i know i know.” The album was critically acclaimed, with The Boston Globe naming it one of the best of the year. Did Laitman feel any pressure working on a follow-up?
“I did. The last album came out of two life events that happened to me, so the material was very cohesive in that way,” they said. “It was attempting to tell one story from different moments and feelings about it. As a writer and as a person, I’m always orbiting questions about how to be in relationships, love and belonging. I think those themes are in all of the songs, but there wasn’t one central event that all the songs pointed to or described. So this album feels very different from the last one.”
“Throwing the Game” is the next chapter in Cloudbelly’s journey, stunning in its beauty, complexity and overall musicianship, exploring a myriad of emotions, moving from melancholic to euphoric — sometimes in the same song.
The band has been together long enough now that the musicians almost instinctively know how to support Laitman’s lyrics without overshadowing them. They incorporate everything from ambient sounds to 1990s alternative. Guest musicians cellist Matthew Thornton and viola/violin player Cynthia Tolson add an extra texture to this material, from intimate moments to cathartic, intense passages.
The song “Poppa” begins with happy memories of their grandfather, but the mood shifts, reflecting the sadness of watching someone age. “Phanton Lung” is a touching love song about a relationship that ended. The song includes lines like, “Like a straw man in a field, in the snow/ and the sun half alone and half unreal — autumn air, phantom lungs,” showing Laitman’s gift as a lyricist.
Musically, as with other songs here like “The Dam,” the band uses only acoustic guitar and string accompaniment, which helps explain why Cloudbelly’s music is often called indie folk. But that label is limiting and does not capture the band’s range. For example, “Bend” features a retro indie guitar sound, while “Oh, Antarctica!” uses heavy guitars to match the oppressive heat Laitman sings about.
The album’s title comes from the moody, atmospheric track “Throw the Game,” an examination of tension in a relationship where Laitman examines their own behavior toward an ex-partner during a long car ride.
“When we finally decided on the name, it struck us as kind of a wordless way in the moment,” Laitman said. “It just felt right.”
Laitman’s strong, expressive vocals and engaging melodies will draw even the most casual listeners in, but “Throwing the Game” benefits from repeated listenings, as you take away something new each time. My takeaway is that many of these songs deal with the passage of time and reckoning to heal the past before moving toward the future, but that may change with more listens.
“I like that about the songs, too,” Laitman agreed. “The songs I write are usually like that for me. The feelings and images are clear as I’m writing, but as I listen, new things reveal themselves to me slowly as well.”
They hope people listen and find their own meaning in the 12 tracks here.
“Songs light little fires in the listener and have meaning for them, and that’s really what I hope for my music,” Laitman said.
The members of Cloudbelly are looking forward to the release show at The Drake, where they will be joined by Wes Chalfant on bass and Matthew Thornton on cello.
This is Klar’s first full-length album since 2017, and it’s a collection of tracks ranging from ballads to folk-rockers. The album features his observations on daily life.
“Jake reached out to us asking if we would be interested in doing a double headliner show because our releases were so close together, and it sounded fun,” said Laitman. “It’s a little unconventional, but it just felt like there’s so much competition in the independent music industry. It felt like a nice, counter-cultural move to join forces this way and make it about both of us.”
Tickets, which are $18 in advance, are available at thedrakeamherst.org. Prices go up to $22, day of show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Breweries hosting food drives
It’s that time of year when we put extra emphasis on making sure everyone can access the food they need. Two local breweries, Incandescent Brewing in Bernardston and Floodwater Brewing Co. in Shelburne Falls, are doing what they can to help by hosting food drives.
Floodwater is hosting a weekend of music and charity. The business is looking for food donations to fill the community fridge and support local food pantries before Thanksgiving. Floodwater owner Zack Livingston helped build the community fridge, located in the picnic alley on the Buckland side of Shelburne Falls.
In turn, Floodwater has put together an excellent lineup of music for the weekend. It all begins Friday at 5 p.m. with touring singer/songwriter Megan Burtt, followed by the folk-Americana band Rounders Revival at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the brewery will welcome Reed Foehl at 4 p.m., known for his Grammy-nominated song “Fly.” He’s preparing to release his seventh album. The Lonesome Brothers, Ray Mason and Jim Armenti, have been making music together for 41 years, and you can always expect a night full of humor and good tunes when they play at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday, there will be an afternoon show at 3 p.m. with indie rockers The Frost Heaves and Hales. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse DeNatale will wrap it all up, performing at 7 p.m. That’s quite a weekend of music.
Incandescent Brewing will host its food drive on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., with music provided by Chick ’N’ Wire, a popular band of local players. Expect the band to cover some of your favorite classic rock, country and blues tunes. There is a $10 cover at the door.
Half the door proceeds will go to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The brewery will also be collecting canned goods, and to encourage people to bring in nonperishable items, if someone brings in three or more items, the brewery will treat them to a special surprise.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.