n0trixx - 'rejected' review
n0trixx by Mair Uysal
n0trixx is one of the most enigmatic stories on the European scene that you should know going forward. They release their latest EP rejected on 17 November. This self-produced number has been developed by n0trixx from a home studio in Turkey, and mixed by London-based electronic producer External Subway. Here’s what we thought:
Opening track ‘Tvar’ starts things off on an emotional peak with swelling violins. n0trixx described this as a deep, personal track pre-release. ‘Tvar’ is an excellent anchor for the EP, being the only track in Russian. The key hook of “I am a two-faced devil” delivers a breathless, very raw and emotional track. The violin arrangements develop into an excellent electronic version of the same music. Pre-release discussed how n0trixx’s mental health influences this track, their BPD, DID & being a strong advocate for mental health discussions.
n0trixx’s motivation for rejected was emotions they ”just cannot keep inside anymore”. The way the music sways between both symphony and electronic portrays that to a great depth.
‘DIE’ completely alters the EP’s flow; a furious four minutes of aggression. The inclusion of Sarunas Brazionia’ low droning guitar is a welcome tonal change, helping convey the purpose of the track, to show “the struggles and pain of living with DID”. n0trixx themself conveys this best, who performs in a much more guttural or at times rapped style. There’s some uses of softer vocals, largely used to portray the voice of clarity or despair. This is best shown during lyrics “my alter ego wants me dead” or the soft spoken “do I really think that I exist?” That curtails the track. With a tag like “bedlamcore”, ’DIE’ as a track delivers on multiple fronts, portraying both internal and real world conflict.
'Hard to be a God' focuses very much on the real-world conflict that inspired rejected. Many poignant lyrics in this track stood out given n0trixx's excommunication from their homeland. They spoke about the state of censorship in their pre-release materials, the non-existence of protests nowadays and asked one thing, "How does that happen?". This seems to have manifested itself completely during 'Hard to be a God'. The track is an outpouring of derision to the state for their silencing of their people. n0trixx was a recipient of this behaviour themself, which caused them to write the EP. n0trixx's experience happened 18 months ago, and is still an issue today for others in that country. Hence the lyric "There is no cure for this sickness/This disease got no symptoms" portrays both a sense of unrest but also powerlessness. 'Hatred' works as a perfect song to couple with 'Hard to be a God'. Both are bass-heavy, rapped tracks that exude outrage. The only difference between the two is 'Hatred' outright demands that response lyrically. The choices are a lot more obvious, like the very overt 'Hands up or I will shoot'. In a sprinting, two-minute delivery n0trixx portrays the same conflict as before, but in the music industry.
'Satn' continues the heaps of contextual factors that went into rejected. n0trixx has been living in Turkey throughout the writing process, and drawn from this to create 'Satn'. It results in a track brimming with Middle Eastern motifs and dark menacing story. This is a delightful stripped-back track, focusing on imagery and wordplay. Simplicity works in its favour, using 'Satn' to flit between "Satin" and "Satan" as the track oscillates between bass samples and much lighter vocal work from n0trixx.
rejected is a melting pot of influence, hence why the cover of '14 Left' is an excellent addition to the EP. It carries the same excellent nu-metal guitar tone from Factory 81's original, but subs in some excellent trap samples. The final track, 'Morphine' dropped as a single in October as the only other taster of the EP aside from 'Do I Exist?'. It ends the EP discussing finality in the lyrics, but on a somewhat triumphant note. It is a bass-heavy, reflective number, and though discussing loss and inevitability, it doesn't feel negative.
As a whole, rejected as a concept is not negative. It’s necessary. n0trixx has a beyond-rich story to tell and the means they used to tell it is so malleable it gets told several ways. The trap/bass element is its most prominent factor, but the presence of guitar on some tracks is incredibly refreshing. Every song feels like n0trixx showing something we need to see, whether that's personal to them or something in the world that isn't being talked about enough.