McCloud – Accident

New Orleans-based alternative rock quartet McCloud returned to the scene a couple of months ago with “Accident,” their first piece of work in more than two decades. The song comes from “Look Behind You,” a brand new six-track EP. They still nurture the same sound but it’s also more polished, detailed, and ethereal than before. Soundwise, perhaps their music dominantly leans towards the alt-rock sound, but you’ll hear how some other elements found their way into this sonic equation. Some of the finest ingredients borrowed from music genres like grunge, indie rock, or emo are also present in the mix, but don’t be surprised if you discover more while listening to this marvelous song. The way they combine all these different but complementary styles will immediately blow you away. “McCloud” is one of those bands where all the experience, knowledge, skills, and talent shines through every vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver, and “Accident” exemplifies how the alternative rock scene has so much more to offer. 

These skilled musicians thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing their latest single. “Accident” arrives with a perfect structure, stacked with many segments and adorned with exceptional musicianship. Their brilliant ideas shine through every instrumentation, making this song such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again. You’ll hear how the vocals deliver raw, confident, sincere emotion with such precision and finesse. The impressive vocal range commands attention and guides you through every section of the song. It’s nearly mindblowing how these vocal harmonies levitate over low, mid, and high notes while emphasizing all the segments and orchestrations. In the meantime, the interplay between rhythm and lead guitars act as an adequate backdrop, supporting all the vocal articulation with all those intricate instrumentation. You’ll notice how the catchy, tastefully assembled, powerful riffs resonate on one side while the other shines with marvelous leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers. It’s nearly mindblowing how the guitars and vocals work in this sonic equation, so you’ll solely enjoy everything these clever musicians incorporated into their songs.

McCloud also thought about the rhythm section, and there are equally intricate, audible, warm-sounding low-ends roaming beneath all these guitar layers. The bass guitar is solely responsible for bringing more heaviness, clarity, and depth to the mix, but also for binding guitars and drums in a distinctive way. Of course, “Accident” wouldn’t sound this good without the outstanding drumming performance. The experienced drummer dictates groove and tempo with a comprehensive collection of beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics. His performance keeps the remainder of the band in line by delivering precise rhythmic structures to the table. Every band member plays a significant role in this fine piece of artistry. “Accident” continuously levitates between the nineties and noughties alternative rock sound, with subtle touches of grunge, indie, and emo included within. McCloud poured years of experience, heart, and soul into this track, resulting in such a fresh and unique sonic experience that sounds impressive from scratch to finish. Therefore, you should check “Accident” immediately if you’re a die-hard alternative rock fan. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!