Last year, Cleveland’s Dylan Baldi released his debut album as Cloud Nothings, a collection of effulgent pop cuts with barely any songs stretching past the 3 minute mark. Attack on Memory, Cloud Nothings’ sophomore effort, finally feels like a full band rather than one auteur calling the shots. If the title is anything to go by, Baldi wants to burst the bubblegum sound of their past and start all over again.

Opener ‘No Future / No Past’ is certainly a stark wake up call for their previous fanbase, featuring a climbing crescendo and building from a down-tuned, despondent beginning into a blisteringly heavy finale. The epic album stand-out ‘Wasted Days’ similarly morphs into a rampage of white noise and shoegazing guitars that both Thurston Moore and Kevin Shields would be proud of.

But the album isn’t a complete overhaul from their past material. If this album really launches an offensive on any memories, it’s by combining the proto-emo pop-rock album tracks of the mid-90s with the band’s own tones. The breezy ‘Stay Useless’ resembles a Pinkerton-era Weezer track in the best possible way; it’s a self-loathing soliloquy boasting a raucous riff designed to be blasted out on an angst-addled Tuesday afternoon. ‘Fall In,’ on the other hand, could have been separated at birth from Green Day’s Dookie.

In no way are these comparisons disparaging; Attack on Memory is a refreshing change from the passive indie music of the moment. It’s a throwback to a less self-aware, more self-aggrandising time and is a worthy homage to Baldi’s influences. However, it unfortunately lacks their beating, near bursting heart and is therefore a difficult record to fall for. Attack on Memory is a brave step forward despite ditching the joie de vivre of their debut; not quite an unforgettable listen, but still a memorable reinvention.