Cloud Cult to Release New LP 'Alchemy Creek;' Shares 'As Beautiful As It Hurts' Single

Indie-chamber-rock band Cloud Cult has announced their new full-length studio album Alchemy Creek today with the release of their latest single and music video for “As Beautiful As It Hurts”.

The LP is due out August 8th via Earthology Records and comes just ahead of the band’s headlining slot on August 9th at the People Fest in Yuba, WI as well as their late summer US headline tour that kicks-off on August 28th at The Sinclair in Boston, MA. Alchemy Creek was written, recorded, and produced by the band’s frontman Craig Minowa in the solitude of a tiny cabin on wheels in the middle of the Wisconsin woods after a difficult divorce. “It’s devastating to lose someone you’ll always love. So every day I'd fall apart when I came to work in that little cabin by the creek, and I'd write songs to try to piece my heart back together and make sense out of life."

From that cabin studio, Minowa has been releasing a steady stream of weekly Cloud Cult songs and videos exclusive to its Patreon base, ranking the band as one of the top content creators on the platform. Just last month Cloud Cult released “I Am A Force Field,” the first of several album tracks to come out ahead of Alchemy Creek. Incorporating the sounds of nature that surrounded him while working on music for the new album was extremely important to Minowa, who wanted the listener to be transported to the woods where he was. “You can hear the creek outside of the recording studio windows on this single as well as most of the album tracks,” Minowa shared. “That's where the idea of naming the album Alchemy Creek came from, because it felt like the songs were being delivered by the water, and that was somehow helping me process the pain and change me for the better."

Although the album formed in that isolation over two years, Minowa invited bandmates out this spring for recording sessions of violin (Shannon Frid-Rubin), cello (Daniel Zamzow), French horn (Sarah Perbix), trombone (Shawn Neary), and drums (Jeremy Harvey). In contrast to the band’s previous album Metamorphosis, Minowa oversaw the mixing and production on the added tracks to ensure the feeling of the cabin would be maintained in the audio recordings. “All of the songs on the record are connected together to present one nonstop story, and I want the listener to feel like they are sitting there by the creek watching the whole album unfold.” said Minowa. “Providing a sense of place in this album was paramount.” Mastering was done at Rare Form Mastering by Greg Reierson (Prince, Sufjan Stevens, The Cure), who has mastered eight of Cloud Cult’s records.

Hailed as one of the “Top 10 Green Bands” by Rolling Stone **in 2009, Cloud Cult’s efforts to record and release music as well as tour in the most sustainable way possible are unmatched. Minowa, who holds a degree in Environmental Science, created the band’s own Earthology Records and co-developed the first 100% postconsumer recycled CD packaging in the U.S. market. The band began zero net greenhouse gas practices for tours long before it was trendy and their merchandise is 100% postconsumer recycled or made of certified organic materials. Cloud Cult has planted several thousand trees to absorb the band's CO2 output, their studio is powered by solar power and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic, and they donate heavily to projects that build wind turbines as revenue generators on Native American Reservations.

Originally forming in Minnesota, Cloud Cult boasts a rich ten-album history of bucking the mainstream music industry in favor of independently releasing music via their environmentally-conscious record label Earthology Records. The common thread through what they do as a creative collective is to explore the medicinal powers of music and art in life’s journey through pain, love, and catharsis. Minowa shared part of that journey as a guest on NPR’s On Being back in 2016. The band’s philosophical lyrics and alternative-orchestral-folk-rock sound has been lauded by critics as “insane genius” (Pitchfork) and “an invocation of the life force” (New York Times). Cloud Cult began as Craig Minowa's solo studio project after the unexpected loss of his son and has grown to the present day with an evolving lineup of string, brass, and rock musicians. Known for incorporating live painting into their concerts since their inception, the Wall Street Journal labeled Cloud Cult as “pioneers of multimedia artistry.” This was highlighted in 2016 with The Seeker album and film – starring Josh Radnor & Alex McKenna – landing on Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List,” and garnering prestigious awards on the indie film festival circuit as well as with the band’s most recent 2022 album Metamorphosis, composed for the Minnesota Orchestra.

Cloud Cult will be releasing a waterfall of singles monthly until the full album and tour launch in August. They are excited to bring the new music into the live arena with the upcoming tour that will have Cloud Cult delivering their unique indie-chamber rock via high energy performances in key cities throughout the US. More dates will be announced for later in the year.

Confirmed Cloud Cult US Headline Tour Dates & Festivals:

August 9 @ People Fest in Yuba, WI

August 28 @ The Sinclair in Boston, MA

August 29 @ Le Poisson Rouge in New York, NY

August 30 @ World Café Live in Philadelphia, PA

August 31 @ Summer Entertainment Series in Fairfax, VA

September 12 @ Neptune Theatre in Seattle, WA

September 13 @ Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR

September 27 @ Palace Theater in St. Paul, MN

September 28 @ Palace Theater in St. Paul, MN

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