Q&A: MOTHICA Dances with Death in ‘Kissing Death’ Album Release
DEATH IS AN UNCOMFORTABLE TOPIC THAT MOST PEOPLE AVOID DEALING WITH – but for MOTHICA, it's a subject she's chosen to confront head-on. With her third album, Kissing Death, MOTHICA courageously dances with the darkness that has long haunted her, creating a body of work that is as haunting as it is empowering. The album serves as a raw and honest exploration of her personal battles with depression, addiction and suicidal ideation, all woven together with lush soundscapes, funereal keys, hard rock guitars, and unexpectedly catchy pop elements that offer moments of catharsis.
Released through her own imprint, Heavy Heart Records, in partnership with Rise Records/BMG, Kissing Death is an immersive audio/visual experience that pulls listeners into the depths of MOTHICA's soul. The album's title alone signals a bold embrace of the themes most fear to acknowledge. MOTHICA doesn't just touch on these dark emotions; she dives into them, offering listeners a visceral, intimate view of her struggles and triumphs.
MOTHICA has always had a complicated relationship with death, often romanticizing it as a form of escape. However, with Kissing Death, she flips the narrative, transforming it into a source of strength rather than weakness. This album marks a transformative moment in her personal and creative journey, where she acknowledges the temptation to succumb to toxic vices but chooses to resist, using her art as a powerful means of processing and overcoming her pain.
“For my whole life, I’ve romanticized death,” MOTHICA says. “In the back of my mind, suicide seemed like a natural and easy solution. When my thoughts get dark, I remind myself that we have an infinite amount of time to ‘not exist.’ For the small sliver I’m here, it’s important to soak up every second and make the most of it. It’s scary to surrender to the unknown, but it’s powerful to not give into my toxic vices anymore.”
Songs are layered with melancholic yet beautiful melodies that reflect the weight of her experiences, juxtaposed against hard-hitting rock elements that convey the intensity of her emotions. MOTHICA captures that while death is inevitable, the time we have to live is precious and fleeting.
Over the last two years, she assembled her most ambitious vision to date with Kissing Death, a visual album that tells an immersive story across 12 tracks and their accompanying music videos.
“I decided to make the Grim Reaper a love interest in a dark rom-com-style tale,” she says. “Throughout the visuals, I’m seen in a therapist's office explaining this complicated relationship as if describing a scorned lover. The videos unfold a surrealist version of my life story.”
Kissing Death is a manifesto of survival. MOTHICA’s surrender to the unknown is not one of defeat but of empowerment, a refusal to be consumed by the very darkness she once romanticized.
Through Kissing Death, MOTHICA offers a lifeline to those who feel lost in the shadows, proving that it is possible to emerge from the darkness, scarred but stronger, and more determined to live fully. In embracing death, MOTHICA has found a new lease on life – one that she shares with her listeners in this profoundly moving and unapologetically honest record.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
MOTHICA: Thanks for having me. I think with all my music I just want to create a safe space for people to be able to be comfortable with their feelings. My music and lyrics are very real, talking about mental health, drug abuse, and more relatable things that might be hard to talk about in everyday conversation. By listening to my music, I want people to have a sense of comfortability in having these tougher conversations.
LUNA: You just released your third record Kissing Death and a huge congratulations is in order! What is the inspiration behind the record and what themes and emotions do you explore?
MOTHICA: Thank you! Kissing death is a phrase that appeared in my head as a single word “kissingdeath” and I wrote it down in my notes. At the time, I was debating writing a book about my relationship with depression, anxiety, suicide, and how a lot of my younger years I spent romanticizing this idea of the tortured artist. When I realized I suffered from addiction, I didn’t seek help as soon as I should have because it enabled this belief that to make good art is to suffer. I read a book that personified death as a human, but he was this comforting figure that carried you into the afterlife and painted the sky beautiful colors. This image always stuck with me, and I visualized this idea of the Grim Reaper as a scorned lover in a dark romantic comedy. I feel like I’ve been in a toxic relationship with suicidal thoughts and addiction manipulating me into behaving differently. For example, when you know someone is bad for you and you swear it’s the last time you’ll let them boss you around, until you give in again, leaving me embarrassed and ashamed. I went into the songwriting sessions with the visual album in mind, so I wanted this cinematic, church organ sound in the chorus like you’d hear walking down the aisle. In the verses, I describe this love affair with death like a first love, sneaking off to hang out with him, lying to my parents, with this teenage-like obsession. The message is that I’m sick of kissing (or romanticizing) death and that I’d rather be friends.
LUNA: This is your first big project since your Nocturnal record in 2022. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with Kissing Death since your previous releases?
MOTHICA: Absolutely. Sonically I think I took this place somewhere I've never been. Previously I felt like I kept things in the alt-rock bubble. With Kissing Death, I'm exploring new genres for the first time and through that, telling my story in a way I haven't before. It’s been really fun to just not overthink and make music that I really like.
Photography Credit: Paige Strabala
LUNA: What is your favorite song off Kissing Death and why do you love this song? Is there a certain element, lyric or message that you gravitate towards the most?
MOTHICA: This answer probably changes every day but right now I'd say it’s either “Doomed” or “Mirage.” I wrote” Doomed” as almost a sister track to “Forever Fifteen.” It’s a very personal, honest track that I'm extremely proud of. On the other hand, “Mirage,” which my fans have now coined ‘yeehaw-thica,’ has created a whole identity of its own. We created an entire non-alcoholic beer line around it. For a ‘rock’ artist, we went a bit country on this one. Being from Oklahoma it only made sense.
LUNA: I would love to touch more on the creative process behind Kissing Death. Can you walk us through a typical writing and recording session for the album?
MOTHICA: As soon as it was time to start writing for this album, I called my producer David Burris and started to break down this concept of the visual album. We knew everything had to be cinematic and tell a proper story. I have a handful of voice memos and self-produced demos from home I’ll usually bring into a session and then try to tie everything together.
LUNA: What was the hardest song to bring to life?
MOTHICA: The music itself on this record actually came together really naturally. I’ve gotten really close with a few producers and writers who are my people now. What was really hard was the visual aspect. Twelve music videos and short films doesn’t seem too difficult on paper until you’re in it. All the sudden there are infinite hurdles to jump, the album gets pushed back and within that still trying to make it perfect. I’m so proud of what we did with this album.
Photography Credit: Paige Strabala
LUNA: The album definitely follows a journey of introspection through mental health situations and you’re addressing heavier topics like death. Did you have any lessons or breakthroughs while bringing the project to fruition?
MOTHICA: I don't know that many new lessons were learned, but it really was wild revisiting so many major moments in my life and approaching them from different angles lyrically and visually. I think in the beginning – like, in high school – I was writing about depression and my parents and all that in a very journalistic way. My songs were like a little diary, and I didn’t play them for anyone. Over time, I started writing more metaphorically and lyrically. Then I think just growing up a little bit and being able to sit with my experiences. I started writing about suicide and sexual assault in a more straightforward, open way because so much time had passed. I felt like I’d built some armor around the subject matter. I wanted to tell my story.
LUNA: I know that visual storytelling plays a huge role in your music. What can fans expect from you in this new era of music in terms of visuals and aesthetics?
MOTHICA: Totally! I think my previous releases were very autobiographical. So the visuals were a little bit more abstract as it was all very diary-like, and was about what I’d been through, growing up, and Oklahoma. I had always loved the visual world-building of music. With this visual album I'm able to tie my story, growing up and more-so, with what a fantastical world I can create, as I’ve never really been able to explore that side as everything had been so extremely personal up to that point. It’s also been fun to explore such “serious” topics as a dark rom-com across 12 videos which I've never done before.
LUNA: What is the best environment to listen to KISSING DEATH in?
MOTHICA: The fun thing about Kissing Death is the variety of music on it. There are songs like “Doomed” that should be listened to while crying in your bedroom but “The Reaper” should probably just be played in darker clubs. Kissing Death is for everyone, everywhere.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
MOTHICA:I’m in a really exciting place! Even though I've been doing this for a while, it still feels like I'm getting started. The rest of this year I’ll be on my first headline tours in the U.K., Europe and U.S. I can’t wait to start playing these new songs live and for everyone to see what we’re putting together.
