Mothica Releases New EP “Somewhere In Between”
Photo Credit: Max Durante
LA-based singer, performer, and visual artist Mothica – real name McKenzie Ellis – is back with a bold new chapter in her career. Today, she released her latest EP and SharpTone Records debut, Somewhere In Between, alongside the industrial-tinged single “WEAPON,” a track born from a deeply personal place.
The EP highlights her fearless exploration of raw emotion and sonic evolution. “I wrote the verses for ‘WEAPON’ the day before I went to rehab,” Mothica reveals. “It was my last night truly intoxicated, self-reflecting on the uglier sides of myself. I used to think I used drugs to lose control, but really it was to control my surroundings. Now, I brandish the powers of a heavy heart through this song.”
Somewhere In Between marks a return to self for Mothica, blending heavier guitars, cinematic synths, and punchy vocals into a unique mix of dark pop, rock, and metal. “Getting sober again opened my heart to feeling all the things I’d been numbing,” she explains. “Looking at myself honestly, no matter how unflattering, made me want to write more. It was tricky finding the right flavour of rock that felt true to me.” Collaborators on the EP include Elliot Polokoff (Drop Dead Gorgeous), Curt Martin (Catch Your Breath), Zach Jones (The Home Team, Scene Queen, Fever 333), and Mothica herself co-producing some tracks.
Mothica’s journey has been as intense as her music. Beginning her career as a teenager, she’s addressed everything from surviving a suicide attempt at 15 (forever fifteen) to exposing an abusive youth pastor in her breakout track Buzzkill. Touring with Coheed & Cambria, Halestorm, and others, she’s amassed hundreds of millions of streams, with 2020’s VICES charting on Billboard and hitting No. 2 on iTunes’ pop chart.
In 2024, a relapse triggered by a phobia of flying led Mothica to make a life-changing decision: she canceled her first-ever headline tour to enter rehab. “It was terrifying,” she admits. “I thought about quitting music, but instead I channelled those feelings into angry, heavy music. Combining pop songwriting with gritty guitars has always been my goal, and this EP is that expression fully realised.”
Looking ahead, Mothica will release a remix for HEALTH on 26th February and kick off a 30-date U.S. tour with I See Stars. Key dates include NYC’s Gramercy Theatre (3/04) and LA’s El Rey Theatre (3/22). Fans can expect a powerful live experience reflecting the honesty, grit, and heart at the core of Somewhere In Between.
Somewhere In Between is out now via SharpTone Records.
