Mothé: WTF Is Up?

The wait is over. The hotly-anticipated new EP from Mothé just dropped. ‘Is Anyone Having Fun?’ is an impressive, impassioned, soul-stirring collection of songs, packed with riffs and refrains that'll live long in your head.

Mothé – pronounced ‘moth’ – is the Los Angeles alternative music project of singer, songwriter, musician and producer Spencer Fort.

Working again with Grammy-nominated, long-time producing partner Robert Adam Stevenson, this latest release follows on from their genre-defying 2020 EP ‘Cindi’ and the accomplished, ambitious and acclaimed 2021 debut album ‘I Don’t Want You To Worry Anymore’.

Whether you're a long-time fan or just discovering Mothé for the first time, ‘Is Anyone Having Fun?’ is an EP you need to hear. More overtly pop than its predecessors, it again showcases Mothé’s musical eclecticism. 

But this is far from being a mélange of magpie borrowings from punk, rock, pop, and elsewhere. Disparate influences are artfully melded with melodies more infectiously catchy than Covid. Trust us, ‘Freak’ is an earworm that, once heard, will never leave you.

Lyrically, Fort explores themes of connection, loneliness and the search for love, joy and hope in a world that often feels overwhelming.

In Mothé's music you’ll find humour, sadness, elation and despair. All human life is here. What makes it all work and cohere, is Fort’s expressive, compelling, flamboyant and invigorating vocal performance.  

In the ever-evolving landscape of alternative music, Mothé is truly unique. 

Despite being busy with promoting the new EP and, as we were to learn, already working on new material, they very kindly made time to have a quick chat with us about ‘Is Anyone Having Fun?’ and what inspired it.

For love, sexts, weird songs and beautiful storytelling, read on! 

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Hello Mothé. Please describe your music for anyone who hasn’t heard you before. 

I’m not a lover of genres; I think of music more in eras. I listen to a ton of music. I try to keep a massive reference base so that I can experiment with anything that inspires me. 

Who are your musical inspirations? 

I love the icons: Queen, Bowie, Prince, Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell. The list goes on for ages. I just adore the lifestyle of committing to music that hard. 

Tell us about your musical journey. How did you get here? 

I truly have no idea! When I talk to everyone else in music, we all kind of agree that it’s just a decade long string of decisions mixed with luck. I’m thrilled about it though.  

I’ve been playing in bands since I was 16 so this is just all I know at this point. 

Your new EP – ‘Is Anyone Having Fun?’ – just dropped. Please tell us about it. 

The EP touches on love in all forms, and why it’s too taxing to be near. I was isolating myself from love and doing a kind of intense moment in my life. Ultimately, it ends with an openness and understanding of how important love is. 

Do you have a favourite song on the EP?

I’m super excited about ‘Glass House’. It’s a weird song, so I didn’t expect people to take to it so well. It’s been really thrilling. 

We understand you co-produced the EP with Robert Stevenson. Where did you record it? 

I live in a weird Victorian house that also has my studio. I get to just mess around whenever I’d like. It’s a lovely space. 

Yeah, Robert has been there since day one. I always want to thank him. 

There are literally too many people who touched this record in one way or another to list. I’m thankful for all of them. 

How does this EP compare to your earlier releases? 

I think this one is reaching to be a little less cool and a more pop release. I used to be interested in making weird mic choices and stuff like that, but these days I’m just looking to tell the story in a beautiful way. 

At the moment, I’m making a transition into pop music from indie. It’s the most experimental world to me because you get to constantly reinvent yourself with every release. 

How does it feel now the EP is out? 

I’m thrilled! It’s been such a long process, but we did it.  

I threw a big release party. It was a huge celebration. Everyone texted me the next day saying they couldn’t hang out because they were too hungover. 

What’s the best advice you’ve heard about making music? 

I enjoyed a quote from Kamasi Washington: “Be stubborn with your dream, but be flexible on how you get there.” 

Wise words. Give us 3 albums everyone should own. 

Whichever three speak to you, really. 

A vague but acceptable answer. What’s the best way to start the day? 

Coffee, last night’s glass of wine, and a sext. 

Ah, the holy trinity. What’s something you will never do again? 

I’d do almost anything again. 

What’s next for Mothé? 

I’m going on tour. Touring is pretty fantastic. It actually gives you the chance to see how the rest of the world lives. Not so much information in our neighborhood bubbles. 

Do you take a band on tour? 

Yeah, I take out a revolving cast of players. The standard crew is drums, guitar and keys, and bass. But I’ve also been known to do run and gun party style sets alone. Just whatever the moment needs. 

Are you working on anything else you can tell us about?  

I have already begun a new album. I try my best to stay fast. I’m not super into resting, so you’ll see me very active from now on. 

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▶︎ ‘Is Anyone Having Fun?’ by Mothé is streaming now on Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere.

▶︎ Photography by Chris Hazel (header photo) & Jay Simon (gig photos)