Mothica – die in Los Angeles lebende Sängerin, Performerin und bildende Künstlerin McKenzie Ellis – kündigte gerade ihre neue EP Somewhere In Between an, ihr Debüt bei SharpTone Records, die am 20. Februar 2026 erscheint. Ihre neueste Single Save Your Roses, eine kraftvolle und dynamische Hymne voller Verletzlichkeit, ist ebenfalls ab heute zusammen mit einem beeindruckenden Video erhältlich, bei dem sie gemeinsam mit Ryan Joseph Regie führte.
“I wanted to write a song that on the surface sounds like it’s about a lover I’m pining after, but is actually about substances”, erklärt McKenzie. “The verses are about how intoxicating it is to lose yourself in drugs, and mirrors my experience with sobriety. The lyric in the chorus ‘Don’t save your roses for my grave’ is inspired by a conversation I had with a fan after one of my shows in Paris. They said ‘I believe we should give people their flowers while they’re here.’ That stuck with me–that we often tell people how much they mean to us only after they’re gone. It was fun to make this explosive, energetic production with Elliot Polokoff but layer that with lyrics that have a darkness to them.”
Über das beeindruckende Video zum Song, der die visuelle Ergänzung zur aktuellen EP-Single Evergreen Misery darstellt, erzählt sie: “I wanted an energetic and fun performance set in the offices of Mothicorp. I got to feature some incredible musicians, Jayden Hammer on guitar, Brittany Nicole Bowman on drums, and Tay (aka Thewitchybassist) on bass. I had a bunch of friends suit up to be employees of Mothicorp and play with this idea of a surreal workplace with messy and bizarre cubicles. Ryan (Joseph) and I planned everything in advance so we could shoot it while on set for the Evergreen Misery music video, and approached it with this run and gun energy. You might even see some easter eggs from previous Mothica music videos in the offices.”
Seit ihren Anfängen als Mothica im Teenageralter hat Mckenzie persönliche Krisen mit Würde bewältigt. Mit eindringlichen Songs, die von ihrem Suizidversuch mit 15 Jahren (Forever Fifteen) bis hin zu ihrem öffentlichen Coming-out über einen gewalttätigen Jugendpastor in ihrem bekanntesten Song (Buzzkill) reichen, konnte sie ihr Publikum weltweit ausbauen und tourte mit Größen wie Coheed & Cambria, Halestorm und vielen anderen. Nach einer Abstinenz-Phase, der Veröffentlichung von drei Alben, einem Rückfall und erneuter Abstinenz ist Mothica nun mit Somewhere In Between zurück – selbstbewusster denn je – und öffnet ihr Herz mit voller Intention.
“Like a moth to a flame, I’ve been attracted to drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction”, erklärt Mckenzie. “As Mothica grows, I’ve asked, ‘How can I make the darkness I’m attracted to be positive and utilize it as a vessel for sharing my story?’ It’s hard not to get lost in the dark sides of life and the music industry; it’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel ‘not good enough,’ but I’ve decided to take everything I’ve been through and to use it in order to inspire.”
2024 traf sie eine entscheidende Entscheidung, die die darauffolgende musikalische Entwicklung einleitete: Sie war rückfällig geworden und wieder tablettenabhängig, angeheizt durch ihre starke Flugangst. Während einer Europatournee wurde ihr klar, dass sie clean werden und sich auf ihre Wurzeln besinnen musste, bevor sie ihr nächstes Album aufnehmen konnte. “I made the terrifying decision to cancel my first-ever headline tour and went to rehab”, erinnert sie sich. “A lot of intense emotions I had been numbing came up. I thought about quitting music because the anxieties around traveling and the industry is what lead me back to substance abuse. I was mad at myself for letting it go that far. Finally, I thought, ‘Why don’t I channel these feelings into some angry music?’ I’ve always wanted to combine pop songwriting with grittier, heavier guitars.”
Somewhere In Between – Trackliste:
- Evergreen Misery
- WEAPON
- Save Your Roses
- BULLET
- Somewhere In Between
“Due to my depression and being a recovering addict, I’m so ‘all or nothing.’ Everything seems fatalistic to me”, legt sie offen. “How do I exist in the middle? While making the EP, I had just gotten out of rehab, and I was able to be vulnerable. A lot of the words were initially written as poetry on my phone, and the lyrics are the most vulnerable and poetic I’ve ever written. I’m dealing with my struggle to get sober again, my first major breakup, and other significant life events. For so long, I had been numbing out my emotions. I was finally able to process them, and it was freeing.”
Mothica online:
https://www.facebook.com/mothicamusic/
https://www.instagram.com/mothica/