This song is the perfect vibe for any summer occasion.
LA-based artist and producer Spencer Fort has released their latest single as Mothé, “Summer’s Almost Gone.” A vibrant track with rolling melodies and atmospheric instrumentation, the song pairs modern indie elements with a sweet, familiar nostalgia. Slowing down around the three-minute mark, its guitar-heavy bridge and outro bring an anthemic, stadium-rock energy to compliment the chilled groove found earlier throughout the song. Lyrically, it tackles a relationship’s demise, the ending of a love falling in line with the ending of a season.
Mothé is the stage name of the LA-based, Houston-bred musician Spencer Fort (they/them). Having played piano and trained in classical music from a young age, they always knew music was their safe space and were willing to cross whatever boundaries necessary to pursue it.
For four years, Fort released music under the name Moth Wings, racking up over one million streams and landing a spot on four separate Billboard charts in 2018. They went on to collaborate with Dan Workman (Destiny’s Child, ZZ Top, Beyonce) before disbanding in 2019.
Shortly after, Fort moved to Los Angeles and began writing and producing music for various artists alongside Mikal Blue (Jason Mraz, OneRepublic, Colby Caillat). They also played with alt-rock band The Wrecks as a touring member until branching off to build a new solo project.
Today, Fort performs as Mothé, working closely with friend and co-producer Robert Stevenson (Jeff Beck, Queens of the Stone Age) to craft a sound that is uniquely theirs.
Relying heavily on analog recording techniques, Spencer takes pride in their creative process from beginning to end. “With every single thing I do, I want to take a little bit longer because I put a bit of care into it,” says Fort. “I want all of my work to exist outside of the digital sphere, too. I love the idea of having things come to life in a physical form before they make their way to other platforms.”
As a non-binary member of a genre heavily dominanted by men, Mothé has a unique perspective that has yet to be heard. In honor of this, they started their own independent record label in March of 2021: Slowlab Records. The label takes an entirely artist-first approach, paying close attention to the interests of those behind the scenes, a quality that Fort found to be lacking in other areas of the industry.
The song starts off with a light guitar riff and a steady percussion, leading into a more upbeat guitar riff that sets the tone for Mothé’s smooth vocals. The vocal melodies in the verses are unmatchable and unique, with a very soft-spoken vocal delivery and vibrant, catchy guitar riffs. The chorus is so easy to singalong with, making the vibe so much more immersible. I feel as if I’m having one of the best end-of-summer days of my life. The emotional bridge and build-up completes the song eloquently, leaving us wanting to come back for more and press repeat so the vibe doesn’t stop.
I had the chance to ask Mothé some interview questions about the track, check it out below!
What inspired you to make this song?
I was actually prompted to make this one by someone else’s experience. I had a manager at the time who seemed to be going through a weird time and he asked me to write a song about the summer time being too sad as a result of a relationship ending the year before. I thought it was kind of funny and went with it and here we are.
What was your favorite part about making this song?
We made the song in the deepest part of quarantine, before it was okay to see anyone at all. So we went into our friend’s garage where he’d set up an iPad for FaceTime. He engineered the song inside the house and we tracked it in the separated garage, so it was a unique recording experience you would only have as a result of this year. Trying to get everything to sound good with only four inputs was a really interesting challenge, especially for drum mics.
What was the hardest part?
The hardest part wound up being that I kept having to move a ribbon mic from the hi hat to a ride cymbal every time Luke switched between choruses and verses. Just a whole lot more athletic activity than I was used to putting into a song.
Was this release cathartic for you?
Every release is cathartic for me in some way, so, yes.
What keeps you motivated?
I think mostly just the fact that I keep getting older against my will. Every day is some new thing or feeling, and it doesn’t really feel like I have the option to stop. Otherwise I’ll be 30-years-old permanently defined by the work I created as a 20 year old and that doesn’t sound appealing, so I have to refresh often.
What can we expect next from you?
I don’t know what to expect yet. It’s more than likely more and more music, some shows as much as we can have them, and probably some more bizarre collaborations down the line if I can pull off merging with other art forms.
What other artists are you listening to right now?
At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Sling from Clairo. I think that record is very beautiful and a real great break-up record. Also, the new Tyler, the Creator album has been a favorite recent release. Both of them seemed to have pushed themselves a lot this time around, which I love.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer those questions for us!
Check out the music video for the track below for a must-see story told with brilliant cinematography that perfectly fits the song!
“Summer’s Almost Gone” is within the first handful of Slowlab releases, following “Dancing on an Empty Floor,” “Wrong Places,” and “Debt Collector,” a track that has garnered attention on TikTok and amassed over 400,000 streams on Spotify. These songs are only the beginning of what’s to come of Mothé’s inventive and dynamic sound. Their debut LP arrives in early 2022 (official release date TBD).
Be sure to stream “Summer’s Almost Gone” by Mothé on all platforms now, and follow them on social media below!
Written By: Bryce Quartz