I am sure that this has been said before, but Mothica‘s music is the flame and we are the moths. Cliché, for sure, but completely accurate. The NYC-based, via Oklahoma, singer/songwriter McKenzie Ellis, took her unique dark pop sound another giant leap forward with her latest EP, Ashes.
Starting with the first single released from Ashes, “Water Me Down” is a brilliant, silky electro-pop track that is as catchy as it is enchanting. Like some of Mothica‘s work on her previous EP project, Heavy Heart, she delves deeply into past relationships that desired her to be less than what she is. As the title suggests, watering down a spark and a free spirit like Mothica doomed the relationship from the start.
“Burnout”, the most recent cut off of the new EP, shows an ability to continually rework her style. Minimalistic by nature, the track reaches a point of frustration that rekindles creativity as she pushed through the exhaustion to stay on task. Vocally, you can hear the distress as she fights to keep control and it is brilliant.
“’Burnout’ is reaching for the drink before the hangover sets in, and pinching yourself to make sure you can still feel something,” Mothica remembers. “It’s the last song I wrote for the EP, when it felt like my creativity was sapped. That feeling that you won’t have anything else to write about ever again so you play with fire before the spark goes out.”
Overall, Ashes proves that the wellspring of creativity is still flowing. With her haunting, ethereal vocals and tender, raw lyrics, Mothica pushes herself to edge to make music that is real and impactful. I, personally, have had the 25-minute EP on repeat for the last couple hours and there is no loss of replay value.
“I don’t know how I got here and I’m running out of matches, so take my ashes,” the NYC-based artist stated. “When I created Mothica, I found a place to channel my darkest and most self-aware thoughts. A place I could be myself that I nearly lost sight of the lighter aspects of life. My thoughts felt so heavy, I was debilitated trying to lift them and spin ugliness into something pretty. I wanted to play with the idea of a phoenix rising from the ashes, but the phoenix is a moth to a flame. Ashes is seven songs relating my personal heartbreak, empowerment, turmoil and frustrations into songs connected by a single burning thread.”
While Mothica is no longer a hidden gem (she has over 820,000 monthly listeners on Spotify), she is still a gem that deserves your attention. And if this is your first experience with the pop songstress, then get ready for an aural experience unlike any other. You deserve this EP.
Preview the brand new EP, Ashes, by Mothica on Spotify below and do not forget to grab it on iTunes now.
