Review: nothing,nowhere. 'Trauma Factory'
nothing,nowhere. is back with a new album, Trauma Factory, and it takes you on a journey. This American singer, songwriter, and rapper finally released Trauma Factory on February 19 after teasing the album for over a year. Singles started dropping back in January 2020, so you could say this album spent a long time in the making.
“nightmare” was the first single released followed by “death,” “lights (4444),” “pretend,” “blood,” “fake friend,” and “upside down.” Basically, nothing,nowhere. released half of his album throughout 2020 through the beginning of 2021, but it made the final release more suspenseful.
Trauma Factory is the fourth full-length album released by the rapper and has the same sound and vibe as his past releases, but you can hear growth throughout the album. The rapper (real name Joe Mulherin) describes the album as “an accumulation of songs written during a confusing time. It is about accepting the present and following your true north through the pain and suffering of human life. I wanted to make an album that was truly genre-less and inspire others to challenge themselves artistically. I believe the most inspiring art is unpredictable and unrestrictive – to me that’s what Trauma Factory is.”
One thing that Joe made sure to do on this album was incorporate more instruments to create a full band sound. This allows the songs to be stretched across different genres while still keeping to his roots. nothing,nowhere.’s trauma is beautifully executed across his songs and he has made a varied collection across the 15 tracks on the album.
nothing,nowhere. celebrated the big release with a music video for “upside down.” He describes the single saying, “We’ve all had our fair share of unhealthy relationships. ‘upside down’ is about a lost love and the inability to accept the new and painful circumstances.”
If things go according to plan, nothing, nowhere will tour the UK with Neck Deep and Higher Power in spring. Fingers crossed that COVID-19 will start allowing social gatherings to happen again, but for the meantime, we will just have to listen at home.