Nashville-based shimmer pop band Moody Joody share smooth, sultry official music video for latest single “El Camino High,” out now. The video comes following the release of the electrifying, glittery debut EP Dream Girl out everywhere now via Photo Finish Records.
Rolling Stone named the track a Song You Need to Know and The FADER included the new EP on their New Music Friday list. Plus, “El Camino High” received extensive placements across DSP playlists including Spotify’s New Music Friday, Young & Free, Chill Pop, All New Indie and more as well as Apple Music’s New in Pop, New in Alternative, Early Start and Best New Songs.
Directed by Gavin Geddes, the visual is filled with leather jackets, fur coats and cigarette smoke–proper attire for romanticizing the past and reminiscing on a lost love. With kaleidoscopic effects and dim lights, the visual, featuring a Chevy El Camino, evokes a rich sense of nostalgia tinged with a particular charm and elegant glamour. After searching for the titular car on Facebook Marketplace, the band found one sitting in a Nashville burger joint parking lot, asked the owner to let them use it for the video, and he agreed. Lead vocalist and guitarist Kayla Hall says, “This is one of those videos that I knew I wanted to feel dramatic and whimsical and Gavin absolutely crushed the music video treatment. The video captures the feeling of longing, unrequited love, romanticizing the past all through the visuals, lighting and movement.”
“El Camino High,” looks at the past through rose-colored glasses, putting a relationship in a better light than it really was. Like a late afternoon cruise, it pushes forward smoothly as it evokes waves of nostalgia and lingers long after it ends. The band is thrilled to share a track that they each feel represents the band today and where they are headed. Hall adds, “it felt like the perfect way to end our journey with the ‘Dream Girl’ EP while simultaneously catapulting us into a next new album chapter feeling like we’ve really honed in on who we are as a band. ‘El Camino High’ truly feels like Moody Joody at our best across the board from the lyrics and musical composition to the way it translates so seamlessly to video and the live show.” Producer Andrew Pacheco echoes the energy it brings to the live show and adds, “It’s been a lot of fun to play live on this last tour, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that energy inspires the next batch of new music.”
Dream Girl, the fresh debut project from Moody Joody, embodies the duality of being human–from dance floor anthems to tracks that embrace the less glamorous side of life and being a musician. Embedded throughout are singers Kayla Hall (lead vocals, guitar) and Kaitie Forbes (lead vocals, guitar) experiences as women–the hardships, the joys and everything in between–resulting in an empowered, cohesive collection that serves as an outlet to express their high hopes and deep fears and sonically, is a blend of their eclectic tastes. Forbes says the project allows her to release expectations of perfectionism–being aDream Girl–and embrace who they each are. “‘Dream Girl’, our first body of work, is a story of romance, existential crisis’, loss & rebirth. The duality of the high-energy optimistic dream pop versus the darker, honest and vulnerable edge is our way of owning our humanness, and stepping down from the pedestal that we’ve been placed on in our lives.”
Holding space for a wide range of emotions and experiences including romance, mental health, chasing the dream, unrequited love, longing, self-acceptance, depression and being in one’s power, Hall adds the EP, “was born from a place of capturing the duality of life and our experiences and raw emotions as women in the world translated into an edgy, dreamy indie pop EP. We wanted to capture everything that we are and feel, which at times is sexy, ethereal, lighthearted, powerful and at other times is dark, deep, depressed and raw; creating a safe space for ourselves to experience and embrace the highs and lows of womanhood through this project.”
Last month, Moody Joody shared “Cuts Deep,” an anthemic tune that captures the frantic energy of the “define the relationship” conversation, when a fun fling has turned into deep feelings. High energy and filled with sass and slight sarcasm, it was written during an off day in New York City with frequent collaborator Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes, Dua Lipa).
The previously shared roaring “Ground Control,” an escapist, apocalyptic pop tune that explores burn out–starting at rock bottom and propelling onward and upward. Over a catchy melody and playful rhyme schemes, the track sees Moody Joody attempt to quiet the noise and avoid getting lost in the days where life feels cyclical and dull. Written in New York City with Harris, the track is a shiny reminder to take risks, set high goals and to look ahead–beyond the immediate future. Atwood Magazine called it a “spirited, seductive fever dream: a rush of radiant alt-pop ecstasy.”
In August, the trio shared a fresh, re-worked St. Lucia remix of the smooth, synthy “Velvet Connection.” Also co-written by Scott Harris, the tune is a bright, shimmering pop tune that chronicles the early stages of an electric, forbidden summer crush.
Most recently, the band completed a string of dates supporting labelmates MisterWives as they captivated audiences across the U.S. Seattle’s Aftershow Magazine drew comparisons to The Veronicas and Chappell Roan, and raved, “With refined sound style and high-quality production, Moody Joody is poised for even bigger stages.” This summer, Moody Joody connected with MisterWives on their deluxe album, Nosebleeds: Encore, with an all new version of “All The Same,” joining a staggering list of collaborators, including Betty Who, Meet Me @ The Altar, PVRIS, Pom Pom Squad and more.
Moody Joody is a trio made up of Kayla Hall, Kaitie Forbes, Andrew Pacheco (producer). In 2020, the band shared their debut single “The Heat” and has steadily released a string of tracks since. As they continue to build their own sonic universe with the release of their debut EP, the group embraces duality, unafraid to meet their emotions head-on and dissect the varied layers of the human experience using dynamic, dreamy production, sparkling instrumentation, soaring vocals and honest lyricism.
Following the release of Moody Joody’s mesmerizing, magnetic debut EP Dream Girl out now via Photo Finish Records, the trio share the latest smoky visual for “El Camino High” out now. Connect with Moody Joody on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok to stay up-to-date with the rising trio.
