Written by Corey Laitman & Cloudbelly
Performed by Corey Laitman, Sam Perry, Reed Sutherland, Nate Mondschein, & Cynthia Tolson
Produced by Nate Mondschein
Recorded by Andrew Oedel @ Ghost Hit Recording, Nate Mondschein @ Echo Base Production, and Reed Sutherland @ The Barn
String Arrangement by Reed Sutherland, performed by Cynthia Tolson
Mixed by Andrew Oedel
Mastered by Anni Casella
Released by Strange Library Records
On their new LP i know i know i know, Cloudbelly (along with frequent collaborator/bassist/keyboardist/string arranger Reed Sutherland merges their individual superpowers to create a collection of tracks that flirts with experimentalism without ever abandoning its tether to a recognizable emotional bedrock. The record features everything from hook-heavy indie rock anthems to tender folk ballads, left-of-center art-pop odes to hypnotic, haunting meditations; but each highlights Laitman’s unique ability to send listeners spiraling into reverie, only to grab them by the collar and set them back on solid ground.
Corey wrote the bulk of i know i know i know in the aftermath of the consecutive, tightly-timed implosion of two formative relationships. The album is - among other things - a document of their sincere effort to grieve; to remember; to take stock; to get angry; to forgive; and to reconcile the painful necessity of those relationships coming to an end.
The album’s title (drawn from the chorus of its second single, “Handfuls”) points to that knife’s edge divide, between the understanding of the way things are, and the seeming impossibility of embracing it. i know i know i know––acceptance and hesitation packaged in a single turn of phrase. It’s about confronting the fact that when it comes to healing and recovery, we are both the poison and the medicine. It’s about being present with the parts of ourselves that are in pain.
The bones of i know i know i know were recorded at Ghost Hit Recording in West Springfield, MA, with additional layers added and manipulated over the subsequent months from Nate’s production studio, Echo Base, in Mount Holly, VT, and Reed’s home base, The Barn. The album was mixed by Andrew Oedel at Ghost Hit, and mastered by Anni Abigail Casella. The first single from the record, “November,” dropped on 12/1/23, hitting 20k streams within just over a month. The follow-up single, “If You Want” was released Friday, January 12th, 2024, and third single “Handfuls” premiered on Under The Radar on February 2nd, 2024.
You can listen to i know i know i know now, pick up tickets for their 2024 tour, and order a copy of the record for yourself (on 180 gram, pink splatter vinyl) here, out on Strange Library Records.
“The tender intimate arrangements along with the gorgeous strings combine to a powerful effective delivery that hits you where it counts.”
“...a meticulously crafted mosaic of emotions, where each piece reflects a fragment of a love story’s arc—from its hopeful inception to its inevitable, poignant denouement.”
“Dreaming made possible again, but this time with our eyes and ears wide open. Majestic.”
“a beautifully constructed pop-folk anthem for the loneliest time of the year.”
“Together, the group take Laitman’s emotive and poetic songs and bend them into a myriad of shapes, from gentle and vulnerable folk songs to catchy and cathartic indie rock anthems. Strings soar and subtle beats and electronics bubble up from some unseen wellspring, all coming together in and experimental but emotionally immediate style.”