“Looks like we’re all out of options, sink with me.“
Wasting no time at all putting his newfound freedom to use, Nothing, Nowhere. is set to unleash a discography that’s been in the works for years now. Those who have followed Joe Mulherin for a while will be able to recall mentions of an upcoming mixtape that felt as though it was never going to be released. Now unbound by the constraints imposed by his previous record label, Fuelled By Ramen, Mulherin is free and is finally putting out the highly anticipated tape; one thing is certain, the wait was worth it. The mixtape, titled Dark Magic, consists of 18 tracks that have been created over the span of multiple years. Regular viewers of Mulherin’s livestreams on the popular streaming platform Twitch will likely recognise a fair portion of this tape, though there are many surprises in here too.
Before discussing the tape, it’s important to be aware of the position that Nothing, Nowhere. is in going into this release. In 2023, Mulherin gave us a fantastic change of pace from his previous material, with his album Void Eternal seeing him leap into making music more in the vein of what he grew up listening to: post-hardcore and nu-metal. For this release, many powerhouses within these scenes, both past and present, were enlisted to provide feature spots, including the likes of Underoath, Static Dress, and Will Ramos of Lorna Shore. Sadly, this release was met with mixed reviews, with a portion of his fanbase feeling alienated by the departure from his signature “emo-rap” styling. Though an entirely new demographic found his music and became new listeners, it wasrevealed on a livestream that it had not performed as well as Trauma Factory.
For many, Void Eternal felt like a natural progression; especially following up 2021’s Trauma Factory, which already showed a departure from the project’s previous sound. Furthermore, the influences explored on Void Eternal had never been some big secret, and nods had been made to them multiple times throughout N,N.’s back-catalogue. Combined with a very busy touring schedule, and the increasing demands of the label, this culminated in the decision to leave Fuelled By Ramen and set out as an independent artist. Following these tours, on which Mulherin communicated that he might not be touring again for some time, livestreams of music production became more consistent again. It is on these streams that the mixtape progressed from discussion to reality, as new tracks were created, and the contents were discussed openly with fans. Mulherin made it clear that this tape would consist of a mixture of material – something that would cater to a large proportion of the fanbase due to its versatility. Mulherin has always been a creative powerhouse; producing track after track in his spare time, with many of them never seeing official release. This is something that he has discussed at length on X, mentioning that although he had full creative freedom that he was now allowed to release new music as and when he pleased. With the amount of music that Mulherin makes, it’s no surprise that this was a big issue to him.
That brings us to now, where Nothing, Nowhere. is finally once again a free agent, and the tape is releasing. So, who is Dark Magic for? First and foremost, it is a labour of love for the die-hard fans who have backed the project from early on and stayed around. Not only this, but it also feels that it is for Mulherin, and that this is something that he needed to do. This will be discussed in due course, but this tape is very emotionally raw and feels like a healthy way for Mulherin to get his thoughts out. Dark Magic is like a mixtape and moreso a glimpse into his thoughts and feelings, culminating in a truly immersive experience from start to finish.
Thematically, there is exploration into mental health, the state of the industry, label pressures, and much, much more packed into the 42-minute runtime. Mental health is something that Mulherin is renowned and admired for his discussion of through his music and social media platforms, but here in particular, we see that there’s so much that’s gone unsaid until now.
Coming out swinging with “Shadow Craft”, Mulherin lays out his thoughts on the state of the scene that he helped in founding and popularising. It is made clear to us that he isn’t impressed by the abundance of cookie-cutter cash-in artists in the scene as of current, and that they are all style over substance. This is something that progressed throughout the duration of the tape, with the tracks “OKOK”, “Tunechi”, and “Witch Hunter”. We learn how he feels that a lot of artists come asking for help or going to pay for help as they lack the ambition to make it on their own – something that Mulherin managed to achieve for himself through hard work and determination.
Alongside this, we are shown the level of disdain that Mulherin now feels towards record labels due to his (mis)treatment by his previous label, and the pressures that were put upon him by his past deal. This is something that is clearly important for him to discuss, with it even being mentioned throughout the title track “Dark Magic”: “I’m over your contracts, deleting your contact”. We see this dialled up to 11 on “Tunechi” where his position is made abundantly clear, as he outright rejects the idea of being signed to any label again in the future. Moreover, it is made clear that, though he can see all that he has achieved, he had grown disillusioned with it all and had been putting on a front and pushing through. He feels seen as a means to making money and not so much as a person deserving of care and respect (“This industry has taken every part of me, my self-worth, happiness, and any sense of harmony”). We see further discussion of these ideas throughout the remainder of the tape, especially on “Reaper Gang” and “XXX”.
Another theme we see explored is that of mental health and its fragility. Mulherin is no stranger to addressing this within his music; however, here we see him exposing another side of himself and laying his true feelings out on how label pressures, his own fanbase, and general stress have affected his own mental state. Specifically, we see an exploration into pressures placed upon him, both by his previous label and by his own fanbase. It is made clear to us that this has had an adverse effect on his mental state and that he’s had to go through a lot to cope with it. We are given our first glimpse of these themes on the title track, in which we are directly told that Mulherin had times throughout his tenure with his label in which he felt out of touch and was losing sleep due to it. This is expanded on throughout the runtime of the record, where we come to learn that these pressures were not only put upon Mulherin by his label but also by his own fan base at times, and also by himself.
“Tunechi”is a prime example of this, discussing a few hard-hitting topics throughout the duration of the track. One standout line on here is “And all these fans look at me like I’m a therapist, I’m barely standing tryna find my balance on a precipice – yikes”, which clearly illustrates the pressures put upon him simply due to his position as an artist. This is important to note, as Mulherin has made it clear from the start that he struggles with his own mental health, yet has also put a focus on helping others while trying to keep himself afloat.
In a stark contrast to this, we have tracks that discuss mental health separately from these factors, such as “OKOK”. “OKOK can we save this talk for another day, I can’t seem to get out of my own way, take a pill doctor says it goes away”. Here we can see the more medical side of mental health, in which medication is being offered to try and help, but they never really quite manage to achieve that.
Of course, lyrical content isn’t the only thing that Nothing, Nowhere. is beloved for. The project has also garnered a lot of praise and amassed a fanbase over the years for its versatility and musical ability. On this tape, it is abundantly clear that Mulherin is confident in his ability in this regard, as he has written tracks that span all eras of the project, from the original “emo-rap” days to the more dreamy-sung tracks from Reaper era, and then more closely to N,N. of recent, with heavier, more metalcore-focused moments. All of these are interwoven throughout the tape, and it keeps the experience incredibly fresh throughout.
It is also incredibly obvious that Mulherin has taken all that he has learned over his years as an artist and that he has put all of that skill and knowledge into making this release one of the best-sounding bodies of work he has put out to date. Void Eternal was already very strong production-wise, but this has now been reflected back into his older styles as well. The entire release feels incredibly well-polished. There is also a consistent narrative strewn throughout the tape through the inclusion of fake news reporters who are reporting on the mysterious “Cult of the Reaper.” This loose narrative adds to the experience on the whole and really goes to making the release feel complete as a body of work.
This tape is a labour of love for those fans who have kept with the project throughout the years, who have supported Mulherin through thick and thin; the quote “Reaper Gang”. It’s a fantastic reminder of both why Nothing, Nowhere. is renowned in the scene but also showing the level of flexibility that the project has to be able to move between genres with such ease. Dark Magic is more than just a mixtape; it is an experience and one definitely worth going on.
8/10
Dark Magic is out tomorrow via Reaper’s Realm Records.