The Canadian art punk collective Crack Cloud make a somewhat subdued, introspective return with their third studio album Red Mile.
Things have changed. Crack Cloud have come a long way since forming nearly a decade ago as a proxy-rehab outlet on the fringes of Calgary. Relocating to Vancouver, their groundbreaking albums Pain Olympics (2020) and Tough Baby (2022) were forged through a much more isolated and complex process, angrier and nihilistic in their execution. Red Mile is also a homecoming. Battle worn punks returning to their Calgary roots, eager to share stories and reflections on what “home” means after years of personal and collective growth. Previously a huge cast of friends and associates, Crack Cloud is now distilled down to regulars Zach Choy, Aleem Khan, Bryce Cloghesy, Will Choy, featuring Emma Acs, Eve Adams, and Nathaniel Philips, all under the creative direction of Aidan Pontarini.
It’s worth mentioning up front, for those seeking the intense bite and urgency of the previous albums, Red Mile might feel like a significant shift. The once sprawling structures and layers of meaning are honed down into much more concise and focused songs, achieved via a more collaborative, faster songwriting approach. Things begin tentatively with ‘Crack of Life’ , which develops into a sardonic call to join Crack Cloud on a carelessly hedonistic last burnout while the earth dies under the weight of excess human consumption. This is followed by the more upbeat strains of ‘The Medium’, the album’s best song and its core thesis statement on the wholesome, healing power of a good rock song in an industry intent on exploitation. A piano/keys heavy track, its shape shifts with the contrasting vocals. Next, lead single ‘Blue Kite’ is an energetic nod to late 70s punk and Richard Hell, and is greatly enhanced by the band’s use of more dramatic textures including striking staccato strings. Zach Choy spent evenings during recording reading about 20th century China and reflecting on his own grandparents emigration to Canada during Mao’s Great Leap Forward. The accompanying video (below) filmed in the Mojave Desert, pays tribute to the banned 1993 Chinese film The Blue Kite, (Lan Feng Zheng) itself a commentary on social conformity and the erasure of self-identity.
Lyrically, Red Mile dives deep into these themes of identity, and the human experience. The eight tracks tackle themes of overcoming obstacles, both physical and mental, coming to terms with new hopes, and reconciling with the band’s evolution “making peace with its own mythology”. Crack Cloud speak of wanting to create a “lived in” rock album that embodies this change of pace, while still offering something relatable and inspiring. In practice, on Red Mile this often translates to songs whose familiar raw punk energy is dialled down so much that it only comes through in vocal tone, set against more refined instrumentation. While this blend of punk ethos and more diverse musicality pushes genre boundaries, it sometimes feels lost and wandering, for example on ‘Ballad of Billy’ and in the eight minute closing song ‘Lost on the Red Mile’. Elsewhere, Crack Cloud more effectively tap into their lived experience and wisdom, such as on the multi-vocalled ‘Epitaph’ or ‘I Am (I Was)’ finding meaning in the void, turning emptiness into kinship embraced by a thrilling group chorus.
Ultimately, the rich subject matter being explored here sometimes leads to a slightly disjointed listening experience, not helped by the album’s pacing. A Crack Cloud record is never for casual listening, but even so, Red Mile relies on full attention and repeated listens to fully appreciate its depth, which might be a challenge for some. That said this remains a significant addition to Crack Cloud’s output. It might not be up in your face quite so much, but the more mature sound will stand over time as a turning point in the group’s career.
