Like the resurgence of vinyl records, the analogue four-track recorder has gained serious indie cred in the past few years, offering an alternative to the slick, inhuman music that has slowly sprawled out of the pop charts to infiltrate the Alternative section of your favourite record store. The tape-hiss and red-line distortion recording style has an air of authenticity about it, emphasising passion over perfection a million miles removed from the studio precision now labelled ‘indie’.

The truth is, though, that there’s nothing inherently ‘authentic’ about a four-track recording. At the heart of the matter, it’s the songs that count, not the way they were recorded. Artists like Wavves or John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, who started out making brittle, hissy recordings have transferred their songwriting magic to higher-fidelity formats without sacrificing the essence that made them so compelling in the first place; in fact, King of the Beach is arguably Wavves’ best moment to date.

That same transition seems like the necessary progression for Cloud Nothings. Turning On, a hodgepodge of Dylan Baldi’s vinyl and cassette releases under the Cloud Nothings moniker, is a testament to his easy way with a hook, but those hooks are so often buried, or even disarmed, by the lo-fi recording. "Can’t Stay Awake" kicks off the record with a scrappy chutzpah, the distorted drums punching with a loose charm, but the turn into the chorus is blunted by constant noise. Similarly, "Real Thing" sounds exactly like what it is: a demo. It packs a great chorus, and here the scurf actually helps to add to the Sonic Youth vibe, but the rest of the song sounds blurry and pointlessly messy, to its detriment.

The good news is that Baldi has a strong pop sensibility that still manages to shine through the mess. Along with "Real Thing"’s 80s underground vibe, there’s the doo-wop guitar of "Strummin’" and the straightforward garage power-pop of "My Little Ray Gun", all of which kick with enough energy to shake off the tape-hiss torpor that otherwise holds back Turning On.

This compilation covers material from several months ago, and its local release coincides with the self-titled debut, which already sounds a lot cleaner and better mixed to emphasise the knack for a catchy melody Baldi hints at on Turning On.

[Bonus review] Like an encore we didn’t ask for, the idea of bonus tracks, especially on a compilation album, seems beyond redundant, as is the case here. Along with the fun but forgettable instrumental ("Get On Board") and the indistinct "Ooh You", there is the now-obligatory chillwave remix. Memory House does a pretty solid job in drowning "Hey Cool Kid" in reverb and slow-fluttering synths (to the point that it sheds the ‘hey’ from its title), but it doesn’t exactly illuminate the rest of the album.

Review score: 6.5/10