Mothica announces new EP 'Somewhere In Between' and shares anthemic new single • GRIMM Gent

Mothica – the LA-based singer, performer, and visual artist McKenzie Ellis – announced her new EP “Somewhere In Between”, her debut for SharpTone Records, will be released February 20th, 2026. Her latest single “Save Your Roses”, a heavy and dynamic anthem charged with vulnerability, is also out today alongside an epic video she co-directed with Ryan Joseph.

“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. 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.”

Of the song’s stunning video, a visual companion of recent EP single “Evergreen Misery”, she shares:

“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.”

Mckenzie has gracefully navigated personal despair since beginning her work as Mothica as a teenager. With potent songs detailing everything from surviving a suicide attempt at age 15 (“forever fifteen”), to going public about an abusive youth pastor in her most popular track (“Buzzkill”), she has seen her audience grow globally via tours with icons like Coheed & Cambria, Halestorm, and many others, while tallying hundreds of millions of streams (2020’s “VICES” charted on Billboard and reached No. 2 on iTunes’ pop chart). After getting sober, releasing three albums, relapsing and getting sober again, Mothica is now back and bolder than ever on “Somewhere In Between”, opening up her heart with intention.

“Like a moth to a flame, I’ve been attracted to drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction. 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.”

In 2024, a pivotal decision instigated the sonic evolution that followed: she had fallen back into a pill addiction fueled by her intense phobia of airplane travel. While touring Europe, she realized she needed to get clean and go back to basics before her next record.

“I made the terrifying decision to cancel my first-ever headline tour and went to rehab. 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.”

“Due to my depression and being a recovering addict, I’m so ‘all or nothing.’ Everything seems fatalistic to me. 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.”