Exclusive Interview: Moody Joody Talks Touring, New Music, and Their Bright, Sparkling Future

4 days ago

With stars in their eyes and a bright vision for the future, Moody Joody is a glimmering synth-pop discoball ready to explode in a sparkling meteor shower of success. On the front end of their tour alongside electropop band A R I Z O N A, the members of Moody Joody joined us for a chat to talk about life on the road, their sensational debut EP Dream Girl, their inspirations, and what’s to come for the band.

Behind the dreamy indie-pop sonic and glitzy, retro stage aesthetic of the band are the most down-to-earth of individuals: lead singers Kaitie Forbes and Kayla Hall, along with their stellar producer, Andrew Pacheco. Huddled into the back of their tour van on the road from one city to the next, Kaitie, Kayla, and Andrew easily fall into a conversation that's guided by a shared love of all sides of music. From palpable excitement from the band to play the Wiltern in Los Angeles and shopping Depop for their tour outfits, to naming ABBA as their dream band to support on tour and pressing their first vinyl records, Moody Joody are balancing right between being entirely human and making the emotional facade of their anthems appear like a daydream.

That crossroads between dream and reality is what has guided the band from the inception of their debut Dream Girl. In talking about the roots of the project, Hall shares, "We conceptually had the title 'Dream Girl' for a while. That song specifically set a tone for the overarching message of the EP that also is kind of our ethos as a band. Our band name is Moody Joody, so Kaitie and I, we're two women who want to be able to capture all of the feelings around what it's like to be a woman. The good, the bad, the highs, the lows - being able to own all of that." She adds, "I think that 'Dream Girl' specifically was like, 'Is it okay to not be perfect all the time?' I might put on this facade, but I need to be able to be me. And that is more than just what I'm putting out into the world. We touch on a lot of things like nostalgic love and then we'll write a song about seasonal depression. So we just wanted to be able to capture the full array of emotions."

"I might put on this facade, but I need to be able to be me. And that is more than just what I'm putting out into the world." - Moody Joody

The band writes all their own music, with Pacheco leading the charge on production for the band. Moody Joody's sonic is developed with a finesse that seems beyond the five years it's been since their first single, and Pacheco credits the band members' creative tastes as the fuel for their fire. "One thing that's really great is that we all grew up on different things but have these intersecting lines in our tastes and in what we love. It's kind of been natural since day one," he says. "We all kind of realized with the first song we ever did, 'The Heat,' that there's something with the three of us together that's so organic." He adds, "While the band kind of started in this 80s-inspired, synthy thing we just kind of naturally evolved. Putting all our different tastes and backgrounds into it, it kind of became this melting pot of the three of us." When asked about their artistic influences and inspirations, the members of the band name off an impeccable list of artists: Bleachers, Del Water Gap, Maggie Rogers, Haim. And the question of any artist past or present that they'd like to open for opens another layer of their appreciation for music, as they list artists like Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & The Papas, and Taylor Swift. Kayla makes the final judgment call, laughing as she says, "I think we would be a great opener for ABBA".

The extra tool in Moody Joody's arsenal to refine their dreamy, shimmery-pop sound lies in their collaborative relationship with songwriter and producer, Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes, The Chainsmokers, Dua Lipa). When asked about his influence on shaping the band's sonic identity, Forbes is quick to marvel at the art they've fostered from that relationship. "Our second outside session as a band we wrote 'Velvet Connection' and 'Ground Control' in like, two days. We walked in with some ideas but it was very collaborative," she notes. "It is nice having somebody to help with things I wouldn't think of or be like 'Wait, do that melody again.'" Hall jumps in with her own compliments towards Harris, saying, "Scott's really great too because he really pushes you to lean into your own artistry. He's never tried to make us anything else, he's very open to our ideas and then he's pushing us to keep going and digging deeper. I feel like we've all become better songwriters just because of how he challenges us in that way."

When asked about their favorite song they've created with Harris, Hall teases, "That's already out? Or that's not out yet?" Pacheco adds, "There's some new ones that we've written that are some of my favorite songs we've ever done." The band is on the precipice of releasing their newest single, "Talk Me Down," at the end of February, which Pacheco remarks, "might be [his] favorite" of the songs they've worked on with Harris.

"Talk Me Down" has already debuted on Moody Joody's live setlist, with the song being the newest addition to the list of songs they've had the opportunity to play live on their past tours. Now with their studio sound refined and several tours under their belts, the band is allowing this current touring chapter to be their opportunity to refine their aesthetic and skill as a live band. "We're settling in. We have some new gear, we're able to do certain things like mix our own in-ears," Kaitie says. "We've gotten to the place where we can walk in feeling more confident now more than ever." Andrew also adds that they're playing more shows in a row than they ever have in their career, allowing them the opportunity to build consistency. Kayla adds that they've been more intentional with their stage wear this time around as well, saying she and Kaitie were "scouring Depop before. We're coordinating, we're doing the whole thing."

As the band looks to the future, the band is dreaming big enough to match their atmospheric songs. When it comes to touring, this leg alongside A R I Z O N A is allowing them to hit new regions like the west coast and Canada that they've never played before. Pacheco notes that their reach is beyond what they ever imagined: "Realizing that people even know our music there is crazy." Hall shares that in the future she'd love to allow her dance background to influence their show choreography while dreaming of Forbes taking on the role as their stagewear designer. "We're really deeply connected to the different avenues in which the art comes to life." And they're on the brink of achieving one of their earliest goals as a band: "We're really excited that we have the time and the resources to craft a curated album, thematically and sonically. To have this space to do it, it's really a dream come true."

Moody Joody tour dates:

2/12 Washington DC - 9:30 Club

2/14 Toronto - The Danforth Music Hall

2/15 Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall

2/16 Columbus, OH - The Bluestone

2/18 Chicago, IL - House of Blues Chicago

2/19 Minneapolis - First Avenue

2/21 Denver,CO - Summit

2/22 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex

2/24 Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO

2/26 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater

2/28 LA, CA - The Wiltern