Exclusive Interview: Moody Joody Talk Upcoming Debut Album, Playing Austin City Limits, and Sonic Shift
- Mikaila Storrs
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
After years of dreaming, writing, and evolving as a band, Moody Joody are finally preparing to release their debut album later this year. We caught up with the trio (comprised of Kayla Hall, Kaitie Forbes, and Andrew Pacheco) following their tour with The Maine to talk about the making of the record, including album concepts and song titles they’ve had in mind since the band first started, songs they held onto even before releasing their Dream Girl EP, and how experiences like touring and performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival helped shape the sound of this next era.
When we spoke with the band over a year ago, the band was already talking about the dream of creating a full-length album. Now, that vision is finally becoming reality, with the record officially mixed, mastered, and set for release later this year. Building anticipation for the album, the band has already shared three singles: “OOPS!,” “Loretta’s Last Call,” and, most recently, “Little Blue House.”
We jumped right into discussing the band’s evolution, noting how much their sound has grown and shifted on the new singles compared to their earlier releases, and asking where that change stemmed from. Kayla explained that working on a full-length album allowed Moody Joody to approach the project with a much clearer vision from the very beginning.
“I think since we’ve been working on an album, we really got to sit down and have a clean slate from start to finish,” she shared. “Even when we were writing for the Dreamgirl EP, some of the songs we had written, we were like, ‘This isn’t 100% all going to fit in one project.’ So this was the first time where it felt like we had a whole lot of time to sit down and really kind of see where everything would land on an album.”
Andrew went on to explain that performing live played a major role in shaping the sound of this new era for Moody Joody. Through experiences like touring with The Maine and performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival, the band realized how much their songs transformed once they were played with a full live setup. Since they originally started as more of a studio-focused band, hearing the music come to life onstage changed their perspective creatively. Over time, the energy and intensity of their live performances naturally began influencing the way they write and produce music, and that live-show feeling is now deeply woven into the songs they’re creating for this new chapter.
When discussing their latest single, “Little Blue House,” Kaitie shared, “the idea of it actually kind of popped in my head because I had this vague memory of seeing a video of the band Passion Pit as a teenager playing a house show, like in a little basement with blue lights. So yeah, I mean, Passion Pit, honestly, kind of, maybe not sonically, but they did inspire the song in some ways, just like realizing that you can be an adult in a band.
Like when I was younger, I didn't really think of that being a possibility and just got like really interested in like, wait, how do people live their lives? And, you know, like when I saw Passion Pit playing a house show with their friends, I was like, you can do that as an adult.” Andrew added that, sonically, the track was heavily influenced by Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club.
Wanting to get a glimpse into what listeners can expect from this first full Moody Joody album era, we asked if there was an overarching theme tying everything together. While nostalgia seems to play a major role throughout the project, Kayla explained that the band’s biggest goal is creating something fans can genuinely connect with on a personal level. “We want to create something fans find themselves in and relate to, and whether that's evoking nostalgia or like heartbreak or love. We want videos and merch and everything."
Each of the pre-released singles carries its own distinct sound, something the band says was a very intentional choice. With so many different sonic directions across the upcoming Moody Joody album, they wanted each release to highlight a different side of what listeners can expect.
“I feel like we've been kind of intentional about the order of singles to kind of like make sure that you're kept on your toes, like don't know what's coming next.”
One of the biggest influences on the band over the past year came from performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival, an experience they all agreed helped push them forward creatively and as live performers. Being able to play a full hour-long set and truly enjoy every moment of it marked a turning point for them.
Kayla shares, “Not having done any festivals prior to that, like any major festivals, I feel like that kind of like fan interaction was just something that was so wild for all of us. It was like one of the most insane, like fun shows.”
They added that it reaffirmed their drive to keep touring and performing as they continue working on their upcoming album: “Just like knowing, okay, like we really want to be playing shows and touring and like doing the thing. Cause we've been working on the album so much too. So it's like, like it's go time.
And it's just really fun to dream up like new, new what it's going to look like with all of these new songs. And getting to play them live,”
To close out the interview, we looked back and asked what their past selves from a year ago might be most surprised to know now. Andrew laughed and simply said, “That we finished this album.”
The band all agreed, reflecting on how long they’ve carried the vision, from early album titles to single ideas dating back to the very beginning of the project. After years of building toward it, finally seeing the record cross the finish line has been an incredibly rewarding milestone for Moody Joody, even if the process had its fair share of “in the trenches” moments along the way.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MOODY JOODY:
