West Midlands, UK-based artist known as Trademark Blud shares his new album Tetracyclics, a 14-track project that explores personal struggles. The project was inspired by real-life events centred around Trademark Blud being diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder resulting in being prescribed Tetracyclic medication. The project focuses on themes ranging from fear, paranoia, self-doubt and reflection about the past, present and future. The project also sees him teaming up with UK producer Westy who is a renowned figure in the UK Grime scene.

The first track  “Psychological Transmutation” sets the tone with a dark brooding introduction with a cryptic vocal intro. Here, Trademark Blud takes us deep into the dark crevices of his mind with lines like “I’m lost,tripped out for a second woke up in a circle of rocks/Walked to a table hazy and dazed and saw my head in a box” and he goes deeper using a world-building approach that creates tension and urgency. This is followed by “Fade Ta Black”, a hard-hitting tune that captures the troughs and crests of a man looking for his natural North as he weaves through the craziness of the world. In, “Superheroes”, he gives us something to ponder as a community who were given the short end of the stick and reminds us that we are more than what society brands us as while “Carry the Casket” deals with self-reliance and the pressure that comes with facing one’s fears with every fibre.

“If That’s Your Girl” has a dark moody drill soundscape and warns us about the shady women who move recklessly in these streets. “Solo” starts with a cinematic synth arrangement and punchy grooves and is underpinned by themes of accountability and the never-ending struggle young black men go through. “My Sincerest Apologies” is another outpour of emotions as Trademark Blud details his growth over time and regrets all the infractions he made in his younger days. next is “Candles”, a cinematic piece comprising sombre keys, sizzling synths with pulsating bass-driven drums underpinned by engaging stories about femme fatales who trap their prey with their innocent looks. The reverse is the case in “My Girl”, where he pours adulations on that special someone who is on the same wavelength as him.

Other notable tracks include “Behind the Smile” which explores the concept of inner pain and keeping a straight face in public while the pounding brass stabs of “Watch Ya Mouth” match Trademark Blud’s off-kilter bravado raps. Also the nostalgic vibe of “Leegomery” gives audiences a glimpse of Trademark Blud’s past and experiences that shaped him. The project closes out with the menacing “Carnage & Venom” and experimental sounds of “The Glass Roof”. The former is pure raw unfiltered rapping about the pitfalls of life and decisions that throw people off while the latter dives into the rapper’s trajectory and journey thus far.

Over Tetracyclics, is chock full of relatable themes that show Trademark Blud in his element. He can be down to Earth, reflective, boastful, emotional and irreverent all at once but in the end, he can only be himself.