MOTHICA is finally spreading her wings on her dynamic sophomore album, Nocturnal. Without wasting a single inch of the album’s seventeen-song real estate, Nocturnal finds MOTHICA diving into the darkest depths of her soul, using stunning imagery to create something that feels both cathartic and cohesive. With interludes narrated by a moth character, the album is a home run thematically while lyrically, it finds her delivering some of her most vulnerable songs yet and sonically, it effortlessly blends pop and metal in a groundbreaking way that is unique to only MOTHICA.
Setting the tone of the entire album are the first two tracks, “Sleepwalk”, which is MOTHICA’s take on Santo & Johnny’s classic track and the dark, glitchy “Nocturnal”, which perfectly showcase the diverse range of sounds that can be found on the songs that follow. The songs that make up Nocturnal all share a common theme of darkness and self-destruction, and this can be heard easily on the pulsing, seductive single, “Sensitive” as well as the massive, guitar-driven “Casualty”. Meanwhile, “Highlights” finds MOTHICA calling someone out on only wanting the good parts of her without accepting her dark side, and the intimate “R.E.M.” touches on her past loves and the scars that remain from them.
The stunning, dreamy “Last Cigarette” finds her collaborating with Au/Ra, meanwhile “The Reckoning” is easily one of the album’s heaviest songs, borrowing gritty guitar work from Polyphia’s Tim Henson. The anthemic, dark “Bedtime Stories” is sure to become a fan-favorite sing-along, while the final track, “Tears” merges fuzzy 50’s influenced instrumentals with heavy guitar while she proclaims, “Look what I made with my tears”.
It’s rare when an artist can perfectly nail an album theme without missing a few marks, but that’s exactly what MOTHICA has accomplished on Nocturnal. Throughout the album, she proves time and time again that there are no rules when it comes to pop music, breaking down barriers to drive the album’s theme home. The songs on Nocturnal are anything but safe, and it pays off time and time again, making for a fresh and exciting listen. There really is nothing quite like MOTHICA right now.