The Russian-born, UK-based artist n0trixx‘s album, ‘A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia’ out today is a walk through the mind of someone with a mental health condition. Each track, embodying a specific psychological state is chock full of dark trap beats, industrial, and nu metal fusion. With vocal versatility, n0trixx moves from hauntingly ethereal to aggressive rap flows and visceral screams. Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, explains not only the artistic representation of her battle with darkness but her activism for conversations around mental health. n0trixx’s activism is as central to her identity as her music.
Hysteria [ БЕГИ]’s twisted rap flows and propulsive beats had me refreshing my rusty Russian language skills as it is in both English and Russian. Inarguably, an incredibly vulnerable track with themes of depression and suicidality, Hysteria features a relentless, driving tempo with distorted 808 bass and metallic, glitchy texture. It creates a sense of urgency along with n0trixx’s vocal shifts between rapid, sharp delivery and layered tones. The ending of the track, a haunting contrast to the rest of the song’s aggression, it is grounding in its humanity.
While other tracks on the album are a more broad exploration of various conditions, ‘narc (i’m so happy that you’re dead)’ is a first-person account of surviving narcissistic abuse from a parent. Addressing the core trauma that shaped her, narc feels like an exorcism filled with jagged industrial rap and raw energy. In an interview for MUSOMUSO, n0trixx described this track as the most “sincere and profound” track on the record as it was the first time she had been able to “spit out” what she had endured.
After narc, we take a dramatic, emotional pivot to the outro, ‘you are loved.’ It is like surviving a storm sonically. Narc ends in a state of high tension, the song itself does not fade out, rather it feels cut, abrupt in the best way. The silence feels heavy but only briefly as you are taken to the startling contrast that is ‘you are loved.’ Soft, oscillating synth pads and a sense of being surrounded by wide open space, n0trixx’s hushed, breathy voice feels like she is whispering in your ear. It’s the after-care you need from an intense musical experience.
‘A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia’ left me feeling like I had been on a profound journey. I felt like I purged some of my own demons as I listened to the sounds of another human sharing her own with the world. Спасибо, n0trixx for taking us all into your world, for the vulnerability, the honesty, and an incredible album.
You can catch n0trixx live as follows:
Mar 13 at the Cavern in Exeter
Mar 14 at Legends Sports Bar & Lounge in Mansfield
Mar 19 at The Dublin Castle in London
Mar 20 at the Lighthouse in Walmer
Mar 21 at the Kazimier Stockroom in Liverpool
Mar 27 at The Peer Hat in Manchester
Mar 28 at Zerox in Newcastle Upon Tyne
Mar 29 at Bannerman’s in Edinburgh
Apr 2 at Hotbox in Chelmsford
Apr 3 at The Green Rooms in Treforest Industrial Estate
Apr 4 at the Alt All Dayer in Gloucester
Apr 5 at The Exchange in Bristol
Links for tickets can be found on her website.