The Shadow I Remember

The album was recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, with record producer Steve Albini.[6]

On October 13, 2020, Cloud Nothings announced the release of the new album, which they had written while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

The first single to be released from the album, "Am I Something," was announced on the same day as the album details.[6]

On November 17, 2020, "The Spirit Of" was announced as the second single.[7]

The band released the third single, "Nothing Without You," on February 3, 2021. In a press release, lead vocalist Dylan Baldi said the song "explores both the negative and positive aspects of dependency, whether it be on a person, a place, an object, or nothing at all."[8]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.3/10[9]
Metacritic	77/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Beats Per Minute	62%[12]
Consequence of Sound	B+[13]
DIY	[14]
Exclaim!	8/10[15]
The Line of Best Fit	6/10[16]
NME	[17]
Paste	7.3/10[18]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[19]

The Shadow I Remember was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77 based on 13 reviews.[10] At AnyDecentMusic?, the website gave the album a 7.3 out of 10 based on 10 reviews.[9]

Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares gave the release a 4.5 out of 5, explaining "The Shadow I Remember's compact, hooky outbursts are just as potent as the slow-burning epics on Cloud Nothings' other albums. They're so seasoned that they can shift from bouncy to crushing and back again in a blink on "The Spirit Of," or whip through a dramatic buildup, blistering choruses, and a radiant coda in 90 seconds on "It's Love."[11] In a review for The Line of Best Fit, Ben Lynch gave a mixed review for the album, noting the music is "typically replete with hooks and furious one-liners", and the band should "reassess once more before they head into the studio again."[16]

Adapted from Allmusic.[20]

Cloud Nothings

• Dylan Baldi – lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar
• Chris Brown – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• TJ Duke – bass, backing vocals
• Jayson Gerycz – drums

Additional personnel

• Steve Albini – engineering, production
• Rob Carmichael – design, layout
• Brett Naucke – synthesizer
• Greg Obis – mixing, mastering
• Macie Stewart – vocals

• The Shadow I Remember on Bandcamp
• The Shadow I Remember at Discogs