Moody Joody Open the Door to Their Most Ambitious Era Yet with Debut Album Plain Jane and New Single “Suburbia”

After months of building momentum through a string of standout releases, Moody Joody have officially unveiled their debut album, Plain Jane, arriving October 30 via Photo Finish Records. The announcement arrives alongside the release of the band's latest single, “Suburbia,” a synth-driven reflection on ambition, identity, and the tension between creative dreams and conventional expectations. 

Years in the making, Plain Jane explores themes of self-discovery, nostalgia, personal growth, and the courage required to embrace one's authentic self. Having already amassed more than 21 million global streams and earned support from major playlists, SiriusXM Alt Nation, and outlets including Rolling Stone and MTV, Moody Joody are entering a defining chapter. Fans will also get an early taste of the new era when the trio headlines New York City's Nightclub 101 on July 8.

Plain Jane has been part of the band's vision since 2020. How has the album evolved from its original concept into the project fans will hear this October?

Kayla: The concept for the album was actually in place before a lot of the songs were written. Everything about it has been approached with a lot of intention: the titles, the tracklist, the songwriting, and the visuals. The Plain Jane concept was born of a longing to take up space unapologetically as a woman in the world, and we wanted an album that reflects that experience. We got to spend a lot of time building and dreaming up this world over the last few years.

Andrew: What I love about how long it took is that it kind of became this mythical thing. Plain Jane started as just the album title and an idea for a song, and over the years we collected more pieces of the puzzle and slowly built the world and concept out in our heads before we got to execute any of it. When it finally came time to really lock in and make the album, there was no question or confusion about what we were striving for.

"Suburbia" explores the idea of trading creative ambition for societal expectations. What inspired the song, and why did it feel like the right track to introduce listeners to the world of Plain Jane?

Kaitie: The song was largely inspired by how I never quite felt like I fit in in my hometown, in the traditional ways and journeys everyone else was taking, but still felt the pressure to fit in. I spent my early 20s conforming, talking about marriage, kids, the big house, etc. But I couldn't fight the feeling that I needed to move to Nashville, start over, and find my own path. As I've reflected on my decision to move over the last 10 years, I've been met with moments of panic and confusion, wondering, "Did I do the right thing?" This song feels like a good reminder to myself that I wouldn't have been happy conforming. I would have always wondered what could have been.

Kayla: "Suburbia" feels almost like a turning point on the record. It actually sort of turned from a love song into this note to self about what would happen if we ourselves never left the suburbs and never chased this dream. Where would we be? Would we live with regret? It feels right to introduce listeners with "Suburbia" because it conceptually reflects the environment around Plain Jane's experience, and a lot of our own experiences of growing up and coming of age in the suburbs.

Throughout the album, themes of self-acceptance, reinvention, and personal growth take center stage. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned about yourselves while creating this record?

Kaitie: I've really had to learn to let go of people's expectations and how I am perceived. I realized I have spent most of my life people-pleasing and hiding important parts of myself from others out of fear of judgment or disappointment. Writing this album has been so therapeutic and somewhat of an exposure therapy experiment. Finally owning who I am, my womanhood, my sexuality, my choices, and the road I've taken to chase my dreams. It feels like Plain Jane is my way of finally stepping into myself publicly and saying, "I don't care what anyone thinks. I trust myself."

Kayla: In a way, we've been working on this album and toward this album since the start of the band in 2020. In the six years we've been a band, so much has happened. Entering my thirties has genuinely been the best time of my life. That said, my twenties involved a lottttt of lessons, as your twenties typically do. I think I've just gotten more comfortable with myself in general, more confident, and more capable of speaking my truth. In the time it took us to write and put this album out, I went through several breakups, moved a bunch of times, lost my grandparents, came out as bi, and even had a credit card sent to collections. Oops! Embracing life as it comes and allowing myself to be human has also been really healing for my inner child, reminding myself to do it for her, the girl who got cut from show choir, and to keep showing up even when it's hard.

The album has been described as equal parts grit and glimmer, sugar and spice. How did you approach balancing the emotional highs and lows while maintaining a cohesive listening experience?

Kaitie: I think we just wanted to be really honest on this album, so those mood swings came naturally. A large part of owning our humanness is also owning the fun, sensual, energetic versions of ourselves with no shame, while also leaning into the heartbreak, confusion, and self-doubt we've experienced. We mostly just let the writing flow naturally and let whatever songs came out of us find life.

Kayla: Our band ethos from the start has involved owning your humanness. It's always felt like a north star when it comes to how we approach writing about the human experience in our art. That includes the good, the bad, the ugly, the highs, and the lows. Plain Jane, as a character, embodies the experience of burning it all down in the pursuit of showing up authentically with reckless abandon. We had the concept of Plain Jane before a lot of the songs existed, so we were really able to build this listening experience around a full array of emotions, both thematically and sonically.

Andrew: We always joke that each of our songs falls into one of two categories: "Moody" or "Joody." The sequencing of a record is something that's really important to us. It's a bit of a roller coaster of emotions, but we were really intentional about the arc and storyline, not just conceptually but sonically as well. There are definitely pockets of the record where we let you sit in the moodiness for a little while, but we got really into deciding where those moments are and how to get out of them. Even when mastering the album, we got super particular about the number of seconds of silence between each song.

After years of building toward this moment, what do you hope listeners feel when they experience Plain Jane from beginning to end for the first time?

Kaitie: I would love for listeners to feel encouraged to live the life most authentic to them and find the strength to do so. It's really hard to go against the grain, to let people down, and to not live up to expectations, but it's even harder to live a life that's inauthentic to you and always have a sense of yearning in the back of your mind. If even just one person listened and decided to go after whatever it is they can't stop thinking about, that would make me so happy. I hope the album becomes a source of comfort, as my favorite albums have been for me.

Kayla: I hope listeners feel inspired to live their life as their authentic self, whatever that might mean to them, even if it means burning it all down to get there. Plain Jane is about showing up in your truth in both the mundane and exciting parts of life and getting to live life as you see fit. We hope it makes people feel seen and understood.

Andrew: It's honestly a dream to have anyone connect emotionally with our music at all. At the end of the day, it's essentially an album about being your authentic self. There are a lot of different feelings and perspectives throughout the record, so whichever you relate to, I just hope it makes you feel seen.