Inside Moody Joody’s Fun Era with ‘Oops’: A Fresh Musical Chapter

Moody Joody is in their fun era — and they know it. Fresh off the release of “Oops,” the trio is stepping into a new chapter that feels brighter, bolder, and more self-assured than anything they’ve done before. After spending years sketching out what their debut album could look like, they finally found the time, space, and clarity to build a world that feels intentionally, unapologetically them.

I caught up with Kayla, Kaitie, and Andrew to talk about the joyful chaos behind “Oops,” the growth that shaped their upcoming record, the nostalgia-sparked visuals defining this era, and what it really means to embrace your humanness along the way.

Next Wave: “You guys just had ‘Oops’ come out. It almost feels like a whole reset. What kicked off this new era for you?”

Kayla: Honestly, we’ve been working toward an album since we started the band, but we never really had the time or means to create a full, cohesive project. After releasing the Dream Girl EP and stepping into album mode, we wanted to be extremely intentional about everything. As we’ve grown—as individuals and as a band—our sound has developed and matured. We’ve gone through real life experiences. Finally getting in the studio and having space to explore and experiment was huge. We had a lot of fun making this song.

Next Wave: You can definitely hear that fun in the song and in the video. This era feels fresh and playful in such a good way.

Kayla: Thank you.

Next Wave: Is there a lyric in “Oops” that hits differently now that the song is out?

Kayla: Great question. Now that it’s out, it seems like everyone’s favorite line—based on a Q&A we did—is: “Lemon drops, lookin’ extra hot just to get my sweet revenge.” People really resonated with that. Honestly, same. When I get revenge, you know?

Next Wave: Going back to your Dream Girl EP—how do you think that project ties into the new music and this new era?

Andrew: Sonically, it’s interesting because Dream Girl was created over such a long period of time. Some songs were recorded a year apart from others. You can literally hear our sound evolving throughout the EP—like “El Camino High,” which we wrote toward the end, feels very different production-wise from something like “Velvet Connection.”
This album is the first time we’ve been able to intentionally create an entire project at once. Even if the songs were written at different times, we viewed the album as one cohesive body. With Dream Girl, some tracks were singles first.
So I think there are definitely elements that feel familiar, but we were able to grow and experiment in ways we couldn’t before. There’s just more intention behind everything.

Next Wave: What’s something each of you brings to the group that most people might not realize?

Kayla: Ooh. Well, Kaitie grew up dancing, and she actually choreographed our live shows. She’s the one who brought choreography into our sets. After we did it for “El Camino High” and saw the crowd’s response, it’s become something we’re expanding on. So Kaitie really elevated the live show.

Kaitie: I feel like your niche, Kayla, is taking a story and making it whimsical. You’re such a storyteller and such a concept person. You’ll take one small real-life moment and build this whole world around it—that’s definitely your specialty.

Kayla: And Andrew’s obviously the sonic brilliance. He’s so good at matching the sonic energy to the story we’re trying to tell. We’ll say, “This is a purple song,” and Andrew just knows what that means.

Next Wave: For Andrew, What’s the strangest sound or sample that’s made it onto a Moody Judy track?

Andrew: Oh man. I really like recording things “in the wild” on my phone to use in songs. There have been some weird ones. In “Lachlan,” there’s the actual sound of the car driving down the street in Lachlan. I also once used a little battery-powered practice amp to do something experimental. I’m sure there’s an even stranger one I’m forgetting—I’ll probably think of it later and have to email you.*

*One of my favorites is that I took a voice memo of the chefs banging on drums and singing “Happy Birthday” at a Hibachi restaurant and used it somewhere in our song “Dream Girl.” Also the low droning noise at the very end of “Pass The Time” is a random ominous sound I heard late one night outside my house.

Next Wave: Your visuals always feel like they exist in a sparkly, slightly feral universe. When you picture a Moody Judy world, what does it look like?

Kayla: That’s so fun. I feel like there’s always been a consistent thread of glam and sparkle—but also grounded in something real. We’re kind of shifting into a new world now. We actually just met with our creative director about the world for the new album, and it leans into this nostalgic, early-2000s, somewhat dreamy space. Nostalgia is a good overarching term, even though it looks different to everyone. That makes sense for us because we all have different influences. It’s about blending them in a way that fits the Moody Judy sphere—without giving too much away since we’re in album mode. But yes: sparkles, glitz, glam, fun… mixed with the mundane. We love taking ordinary moments and making them a little more magical.

Next Wave: Has anything surprised you about yourselves during the creative process for “Oops” and the new album?

Kaitie: I think the biggest surprise is the songs themselves. We’ve been talking about this album for years—planning it, dreaming up titles. But so many songs we never expected to write ended up becoming some of our favorites. They just came out of nowhere.

Andrew: Yeah. We’re really conceptual—some titles sit around for a long time before we write the song. But we also let ourselves experiment and get weird in the studio, just messing around until we stumble on something special. For me, every song became about pushing ourselves into slightly new territory, even with classic Moody Judy sounds. We had a lot of fun making this record.

Kayla: It felt different creating an actual space dedicated to making the album. In the past, if we had an idea, we’d just write it and put it out—we didn’t do a ton of outside sessions. With this album, we already knew the concept, so we carved out space to explore within that. There were even two songs where I had written down titles that I never thought would work for Moody Judy—one sounded like something for a country co-write—and they ended up being my favorites on the whole album. Those surprises were really fun.

Next Wave: You talk a lot about owning your humanness. What part of your humanness are you learning to embrace right now?

Kaitie: There’s a lot. I’m in a major growth period—it’s uncomfortable. I’m trying to be okay with taking up space, even if people don’t like it. Showing up authentically and not shrinking myself to make others comfortable—that’s a huge lesson for me.

Kayla: For me, it’s giving myself rest when I need it. I’m bad at that. We’re all in these transitional periods, and it’s very go-go-go. I have the album and two other jobs, so it’s hard to say, “I need a break.” But verbalizing needs and recognizing that rest makes everything better in the long run—that’s something I’m learning.

Andrew: With so much happening, I’m learning to be patient with myself—patient with outcomes, results, timelines. Giving yourself grace for not doing everything perfectly. Releasing perfectionism. It’s something a lot of artists struggle with.

Next Wave: Name an artist whose influence people wouldn’t expect to hear in your music.

Andrew: Counting Crows.

Kayla: Shania Twain.

Kaitie: Arcade Fire.

Next Wave: You’ve toured with some huge names. Who gave you the best advice or the wildest backstage chaos?

Kaitie: I think Andrew’s story about Arizona from ACL.

Andrew: Yeah—Arizona were incredible to us when we opened for them on tour. They went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. They carried our gear, hauled our merch in their bus so we didn’t have to pull a trailer—things they absolutely didn’t have to do. They told us that when they were in our shoes, how the headliner treated them made all the difference, and they wanted to pay that forward. That stuck with us. When we’re in that position someday, we want to be that band—really good to the people out with us.

Next Wave: Last question: When fans look back on this era years from now, what do you hope they say?

Kayla: I hope they felt seen. Whether they were going through a breakup, reflecting on growing up, deconstructing religion, or navigating any human experience—we bring those themes into the album. If the music helped them heal or have fun or feel understood in any way, that would mean everything.

Kaitie: Yes. And I hope it gives people courage—to show up however they want, regardless of expectations. I hope it encourages them to take up as much space as they want, authentically.

Andrew: The albums I grew up on still mean so much to me 10 or 15 years later. If even one person feels that way about our record someday, that’s all I could ask for. Maybe they’ll want an anniversary tour one day.

Moody Joody is entering an era fueled by honesty, glitter, and a whole lot of growth — and if “Oops” is any indication, they’re doing it with more confidence and creativity than ever. Every part of this new chapter feels intentional, from the sonic world they’re building to the emotional grounding behind the lyrics.

As the trio looks forward to the album and everything beyond it, one thing is clear: they’re creating music that makes people feel seen, understood, and a little more magical. And years from now, when fans revisit this era, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll remember it as the moment Moody Joody stepped fully into who they are — sparkles, chaos, humanness, and all.