NTHN’s “Lonely Again” Is About Growing Up and Realizing Your Circle Quietly Disappeared

There’s a specific kind of loneliness that hits when you realize your circle didn’t shrink overnight; it thinned out slowly, politely, without drama. No falling outs. No villains. Just distance. That’s the emotional core of “Lonely Again,” the latest release from NTHN, and it lands harder because it doesn’t beg for sympathy or spiral into theatrics.

NTHN operates in the grey space between cloud rap, emo rap, and underground alternative hip hop, but what really sets him apart is his restraint. He calls his process “cloudsampling” taking casually recorded street sounds and reshaping them into airy, immersive soundscapes. The result feels lived-in, not overdesigned. Nothing here is screaming for attention, and that’s the point.

“Lonely Again” was inspired by a moment most people don’t talk about: being in a room packed with over a thousand people and realizing only one of them actually knows you. The track wrestles with that contradiction, community versus connection, noise versus intimacy. It questions why so much energy gets poured into people who disappear when life stops being fun, while quietly acknowledging gratitude for the few who stay.

Sonically, the song mirrors that emotional tension. On the surface, it’s surprisingly catchy, almost deceptively light. But underneath, there’s weight. The sadness isn’t loud or dramatic; it’s internalized, folded into the atmosphere. It reflects the way loneliness often presents itself in adulthood: functional, composed, hidden behind small talk and routine.

The December 26 release date isn’t accidental. For NTHN, it’s a low point, the crash after the forced joy of the holidays, when expectations of happiness feel heavier than usual. Christmas, for him, carries pressure: to feel grateful, to feel okay, to maintain stability even when something inside is off. “Lonely Again” becomes a way of processing that comedown, capturing the feeling of appearing fine while quietly bracing for isolation to return.

What makes the track resonate is its honesty without self-pity. This isn’t a song about being abandoned; it’s about growing older, settling into life, and realizing that fulfillment and loneliness can exist at the same time. NTHN doesn’t dramatize the loss of friendships—he documents it, calmly and clearly.

As he puts it: “I’m at a very reflective point in my life… fulfilled, and at the same time, out of touch with a lot of friends who I used to be close to. I just wanted to share my experience with loneliness and hopefully, others won’t feel so alone.”

“Lonely Again” doesn’t try to fix loneliness or romanticize it. It just names it. And in a culture obsessed with constant connection, that quiet honesty feels rare and necessary.

You talk a lot about fading friendships on ‘Lonely Again.’ Was there a specific moment when you realized your circle had permanently changed, or was it more of a slow, uncomfortable awareness?

I'd say it all sort of happened quite gradually - I don't think there was one single, defining moment. The time I feel it most is straight after an occasion or celebration, where there's so much love and company that can be gone in an instant the next day. That's always been hard for me, and I think this in particular was the inspiration for the track, but equally, there's probably an element of me being more selective about who I share my life with, and a smaller circle isn't always such a bad thing. 

Your music often sounds calm on the surface but heavy underneath. Is that intentional, a reflection of how you move through life emotionally, appearing okay while carrying more than you show?

I'd say so, yeah! I've never thought about it like that. I'm generally pretty open about how I feel, but I've had experience with people asking how I am and, when I've been more honest, it's been a bit too much for them, which I understand, but it's certainly made me more cautious. I tend to use my music to express how I feel, but I like to make it accessible at the same time, so that listeners can read into it as much as they're comfortable with. 

You’ve described your process as ‘cloudsampling.’ What does it give you emotionally that traditional production doesn’t, and why do street sounds feel like the right raw material for your stories?

Everything I write is based on my experience, so sampling my environment feels like it brings a real sense of authenticity to the sound. It actually started because when I used to try to use 'real' samples, I kept getting copyright strikes. I just got sick of the restrictions, so I sampled some things that aren't even instruments, just textures or tones that inspire me. I heavily process it into something melodic, airy, and ethereal that really taps into your emotions - that's cloudsampling. Nowadays, though, I feel like there are so many talented experimental producers out and underground artists are getting the recognition they deserve, so traditional is hard to define, but I do feel that some production is a bit too 'clean' and lacks the real-life noise and grit that come with the field recordings and sampling.

Releasing this track right after Christmas feels very intentional. Do you think we talk enough about how isolating the comedown after ‘forced happiness’ can be, especially for people who already struggle with their mood?

I definitely feel this a lot, and I think it's important to talk about it. On any occasion, I spend the whole 'high' worried about whether I look or seem happy enough, whether I'm portraying myself in the way that's expected, then the next day, it's all over, and it takes me a while to level out. I keep my birthday super low-key for that reason, I prefer to just keep close family and friends around me when I can, and not do too much that'll throw the balance off. They all know that, though, and since I told them, everything got a lot more comfortable.

Now that you’re feeling more settled but less connected to old friends, what does real connection look like to you at this stage of your life—and how has that changed the way you create?

There are friends I've not spoken to or seen in years, but still, I know I could call or see at any moment, and things would feel like they always did. That, for me, is a real connection. Just the comfort of knowing they're there is enough and not feeling any pressure to be or act a certain way to maintain it. In terms of how it's affected how I create, I think having a small circle has made me more confident and experimental - I don't have to impress these people, they know me far too well for that to ever be a worry, and I'm no longer apprehensive about putting myself out there. In fact, through music and my Clouded North brand, I've met some incredible people and made some really meaningful connections, so in a way, they both go hand in hand now. I really feel like I'm learning to just be myself more these days and embracing that, with the people who are on the same journey with me.