My first introduction to the music of nothing,nowhere. didn’t come directly from listening him, but rather from a cover of his popular 2018 single “hammer” by rock band Point North. After jamming the song on repeat, I discovered it was actually a cover of nothing,nowhere., leading me to discover the emo-rap project of Joseph Mulherin. Releasing his first album in 2015, nothing,nowhere. is now celebrating 10 successful years as a musical artist. With a discography of 10 full-length albums, including four released in 2024, Mulherin promised a set list of our “most beloved tracks from the vault” on his 10 year anniversary tour, “The Return of The Reaper.”

The tour hit the Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Ore., on May 10, 2025, and included support from up-and-coming Los Angeles emo pop duo sace6. Dedicated fans lined the barricade at the Hawthorne Theatre on Saturday evening, some with faces painted as the sad clown from the cover of nothing,nowhere.’s 2024 album Hell Or Highwater. Despite the painted on frown, it was smiles all around as nothing,nowhere. took the stage. Entering with a ski mask over his face, Mulherin began his set solo with “Reaper Rap.” His supporting band joined on the breakdown of the next song, “XXX”, and Mulherin’s ski mask came off. nothing,nowhere.’s set, comprised of 21 songs total, included hits from his recent 2024 releases, “Dark Magic” and “No Emotion” from Dark Magic, “BRAINROT” and “DEAD2ME” from miserymaker, “John Wayne (I’m Not A Cowboy)” and “Shiver” from Hell Or Highwater, and “You” from Cult Classic. Fans were also ecstatic to hear older hits from the 2017 album Reaper. Missing from the setlist, however, were songs from 2023’s VOID ETERNAL and his first two albums the nothing,nowhere. LP and Bummer. Even with a 21 song setlist, including songs from every album while including popular singles would have been challenging — based on the crowd reception to songs like “Nevermore” and “Pieces Of You,” nothing,nowhere. did a good job showcasing the best of his 10 year career thus far. And at the end, I finally got to hear live the song that originally introduced me to nothing,nowhere., “hammer.”

Throughout the performance, nothing,nowhere. was humble. In between singing lyrics about depression and feeling like you won’t be enough, Mulherin took sips of his herbal tea and read the words of encouragement from the teabag notes. “When I started [nothing,nowhere.], I didn’t really have any aspirations,” he told the audience. “The fact that you guys are here in a place so far from my home supporting me means the world to me.” Though he may sing about being a letdown, it’s safe to say that after 10 years of fans resonating with his music, nothing,nowhere. is far from a letdown, and he didn’t let his fans down this night, offering catharsis and encouragement with each song.

sace6 preceded nothing,nowhere.’s melodic and emotional performance with a performance that complemented nothing,nowhere. well. I wasn’t expecting Sace6 to go as heavy as they did, but I was thoroughly impressed by their blend of poppy clean vocals with post-hardcore screams. Guitarist and unclean vocalist Noah Thomas brought a ton of energy to the stage with his guitar spins and jumps, an energy that primed the audience well for nothing,nowhere.’s performance. Their nine song setlist included two currently unreleased songs, “wake up” and “limerence” from their upcoming EP limerence, set to release on June 6.