Written by: Julieta Vega
Nothing,Nowhere is back with another single that, to no surprise, is another banger. Nothing, Nowhere singer Joe Mulherin tells Rocksound that Lights (4444) discusses “being a prisoner of nostalgia and the inability to enjoy the present moment no matter the circumstances.” Joe is an excellent song writer and magnificent musician. It comes to no surprise that he has released multiple singles and an album this year. Lights (4444) stands out as his latest single that continues to showcase his talent.
Lights (4444) starts off with an ambience keyboard transitioning into Joe’s vocals. His voice has a mixture of distortions and raspiness. He goes from singing softly in a slow pace to rapping alongside a beat machine. Joe’s vocal range from singing to rapping transitions well in the song and brings out both tones throughout the track. Joe’s singing shows the softer yet emotional tone, while the rapping shows the more deeper and painful tone in the track. Joe’s low melancholic voice transitioning into a fast yet catchy rhythm showcases his variety of talent just in Lights (4444) alone. As the track starts to end, the combination of the guitar chords and beat machine brings the whole song to a solid end.
The lyrics behind Lights (4444) are not only emotional, but also relatable in the sense of feeling trapped and starting a new self. Before the chorus, Joe sings “Lights on me like I'm shooting a movie scene”, which describes the feeling of having all the attention on yourself, yet you don’t want the attention. Joe continues on with “Everything you told me, lie to my face on the daily, I'ma go my own way.” Joe discusses that he was told lies constantly and now he’s deciding to go on his own path and leave that person behind. In this verse, Joe is rapping on how finding his own path is difficult. Joe raps “Had to drag you underground just so you could see my everyday view,life getting hard, I'm just trynna make it all the way through.” Joe expresses that the journey is hard to get on a steady path, but he’s willing to show the struggle of it.
All in all, Lights (4444) by Nothing, Nowhere showcased Joe’s talent once again. His talent to mix rap into emotional lyrics and also express his struggles brings his music to a personal connection with his audience. I enjoyed the track and related to the lyrics on a personal level. I’m honestly never disappointed by Nothing, Nowhere and I’m always ready to hear what’s in store for them. I highly recommend checking out his previous work songs like Deadbeat Valentine and I’m Sorry, I’m Trying. I hope to hear more music from Nothing, Nowhere in the near future! Check out Nothing, Nowhere on Spotify and Apple Music!