Nothing but the Rain, the first single from indie singer-songwriter MK Ellison’s upcoming Good October EP, is three minutes of quiet intensity and Ellison’s special brand of strangeness. With an energetic solo guitar and evocative vocal, Nothing but the Rain touches upon themes of addiction and isolation. The accompanying music video uses footage from The Sky (1928) to otherworldly effect.

Good October will be released on January 4, 2019. With its roots in the alt-country, folk, and indie-rock genres, Good October features rich vocals, layered harmonies, and world-weary storytelling. Nothing but the Rain is out now!

In this interview spotlight, I chat with MK Ellison about the forthcoming project, challenges, motivations and more.

Full Q&A along with links and the video for Nothing But The Rain below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I am in Nashville and write music that fits into the indie folk, Americana, indie rock, and alt-country genres. If you like artists like, for example, First Aid Kit, The Civil Wars, The Decembrists, or Aimee Mann, you hopefully would enjoy my music too!

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

This single and my upcoming album Good October, which comes out on 1/4/19, are actually my first “official” releases. Previously, I uploaded a bunch of home recordings and experiments to SoundCloud. I was just trying to put together a cohesive, good set of songs.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

I think the big challenge is what you said, that the market is so oversaturated, it can be very difficult to stand out. On the other hand, without technology, a lot of opportunities would be inaccessible to an independent musician like me. I don’t have to make a bunch of CDs, I can send people a link to my music for free, put it on Spotify, get on Twitter, etc.

What was the last song you listened to?

“Silent Movie” by Chris Pureka.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

You can find my music through all major digital distributors. Just got started with Twitter. And of course my website, mkellisonmusic.com.