MOTHICA

The stage name of singer McKenzie Ellis, Mothica is a New York-based artist known for her darkly textured brand of indie electronic pop she dubbed “gloom pop.” Although active since 2014, she gained widespread buzz after the song “Vices,” from her debut album, Blue Hour, went viral in 2020. Her sophomore effort, Nocturnal, appeared two years later.
Born in 1995 in Oklahoma, Ellis started making music in her teens, initially playing guitar and posting cover songs online. Following a period of depression, during which she attempted suicide, she became more interested in music as on outlet to express herself. Her sound developed further after moving to New York City, where she discovered electronic production and was soon recording her songs and posting them online. In 2015, she released her debut EP, Mythic. Several more EPs followed, including 2017′s Heavy Heart and 2018′s Ashes. In June 2020, she posted a video of herself on social media listening to her songs, including the track “Vices. The video went viral, as did “Vices,” landing the song in the Top 50 of the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, as well as at the top of several streaming platforms. On the heels of her success that August, Ellis released her debut full-length album, Blue Hour, which included “Vices,” and found her addressing weighty issues including depression, self-harm, and substance abuse. “Buzzkill,” from her 2021 EP Forever Fifteen, was another streaming hit, and in 2022 she released her sophomore long-player, Nocturnal. ~ Matt Collar