Dani Filth dishes on how he got into horror and how he actually made Tony …
A lush and visceral nu gen wonderland, the sophomore album Nocturnal from American singer-songwriter Mothica bustles with empowerment and sharp arrangements while tackling Mothica’s own strained relationship with sleep.
MORE: SUNK LOTO: No More Anxiety // STEEL PANTHER: Bringing The Debauchery Down Under REVIEWS: RAISED AS WOLVES: Nervous Feelings // THORNHILL: Heroine // ALEXISONFIRE: Otherness // GREY DAZE: The Phoenix // JOYCE MANOR: 40 Oz. To Fresno // STAND ATLANTIC: F.E.A.R
Conjured throughout 2021 alongside an array of producers and collaborators, including Colin Brittain who has worked with the likes of Papa Roach and 5SOS, Nocturnal vividly evokes its after-dark namesake, fusing smoky tones and ethereal grit alongside Mothica’s burgeoning take on alt-pop and its more alternative stylistic cousins.
A staunch advocate for mental health issues, never shying away from her own past traumas and personal battles through her art, Mothica has steadily spent the past few years on a salient journey of self discovery while also forging a firm reputation for her pioneering place in the nu gen movement. And while her earlier works and infamy on TikTok and social media platforms swiftly and vibrantly introduced this young artist to the world, it’s on her second full length album that Mothica welcomes, manifests, and ultimately battles the darkness with rousing success. Kicking off with a swooning doo-wop-meets-Hollywood-drive-in intro on Sleepwalk (repeating a similar sonic sentiment on closing track Tears), Mothica leaps into neon-soaked waters next with Nocturnal, before prowling into the futuristic industrial anthem Sensitive. Effortlessly slicing and dicing with poignant undertones along the way.
Nocturnal is an eclectic box of musical chocolate from the ever-empowering force that is Mothica.
Wielding everything from emphatic pop punk flourishes on tracks like Casualty, to hip hop electronica on Back Of My Mind, rock-hued anthems via Bedtime Stories and serpentine melodics on Absinthe, Mothica firmly helms every twist and delectable turn with her potent, smoky vocals and effortless delivery. With multiple songs laced with dark and self-destructive narratives, as well as interludes of actual guided meditation to help one sleep, Mothica repeatedly finds ways to bring her sonic creations out of the dark and beyond the speakers – this is music that gets under your skin in multiple, ingenious ways, even if you don’t regularly find yourself drawn to pop and more electronic fare. Effortlessly evolving from TikTok sensation to bona fide artist, Mothica continues her trajectory as one of the most intriguing young artists flying the flag for introspection, ingenuity, and genre defiance on her sophomore album. A sophisticated follow up to her 2020 debut album Blue Hour, Nocturnal is an eclectic box of musical chocolate from the ever-empowering force that is Mothica. On Nocturnal you never quite know what you’ll get next, but it’s extremely tasty every step of the way.
STANDOUT TRACKS: Nocturnal, Casualty, Bedtime Stories, Absinthe
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Poppy, Billie Eilish, Kailee Morgue, UPSAHL