Review Summary: With Pain Olympics, Crack Cloud created an eccentric, strange, and expansive art-rock/post-punk extravaganza that sounds like nothing else this year.
We've truly got something special here.
We’ve all heard records that make us think “How about that” for one or several moments throughout their entirety. This happened to me several times with Pain Olympics—it even made me feel compelled to write a review for this site. It’s been a while since that happened, so hang in there with me.
In terms of context, Crack Cloud is a collective of Vancouver musicians and artists aiming for self-betterment. The common denominator among many of its contributors is drug addiction and a desire to break free from bad habits and destructive tendencies by creating art. For me, that seems like a very cool, respectable premise that more than justifies the existence of this project.
Hopefully, that’s working out perfectly for them because the music is excellent. It’s a unique combination of punk, alternative rock, art-rock, and post-punk with an extra flair. The album consistently reflects the overall themes they want to convey. There’s a lingering sense of unease, realism, and urgency that permeates this record through and through, making it feel like the perfect companion piece for a year as complicated as 2020. Its conceptual cohesiveness, flow, and very short duration (29 minutes) make this project feel like a potent, concise statement—every second counts and every song is a banger or offers something interesting.
The album kicks off with the dynamic, purposeful, and beautiful Post Truth (a highlight), instantly painting a clear picture of what the band/collective aims to achieve with this ambitious undertaking, all while remaining wildly unpredictable. Orchestral arrangements appear out of nowhere to expand and embellish each track, and electronic sounds (Favour Your Fortune) complement them, showing a clear proclivity for experimenting with different textures. Danceable, frantic punk sensibilities abound (Ouster Stew and Tunnel Vision are perfect examples), while an incredible array of vocal deliveries (it seems like a lot of people are singing here) further diversifies the experience.
In the end, this album offers a realistic yet hopeful (and at times even joyful) take on isolation, addiction, and other adverse situations, transforming them into a heartfelt, loving creation by artists who ultimately just want to survive and get by.
