Moody Joody on “Fantasyland,” Plain Jane, and Letting Go

Moody Joody have a way of turning complicated feelings into pop that feels effortless.

“Fantasyland” is about knowing a relationship may not be what you hoped for, but not quite being ready to let go of the version you built in your head. The Nashville pop trio turns that feeling into something bright, shimmering, and instantly danceable, setting the tone for their debut album Plain Jane, out October 30 via Photo Finish Records.

The track follows “Suburbia,” “Little Blue House,” “Loretta’s Last Call,” and “OOPS!,” continuing to open up the world of Plain Jane piece by piece.

Welcome to “Fantasyland”

The idea for the song came from a conversation Kayla had with her therapist about being caught in a toxic relationship cycle.

“I think naturally as humans we’ve probably all been in a situation where we’re romanticizing a relationship before we’re ready to come back down to earth and face the reality of it,” Kayla tells Everyday Jams.

For her, the song became a way of owning that very human instinct to stay inside something a little longer, even when part of you already knows the truth.

Kaitie sees that feeling as part of the larger story of Plain Jane.

“Such a large part of the journey for Plain Jane is learning when to let go, and how you can really only learn that by staying some places a little too long.”

The production leans fully into that contrast. Andrew says the song originally started in a more nostalgic, Springsteen-inspired direction before the band quickly realized it felt too serious for what the track wanted to be. They scrapped that version and rebuilt it around a driving Juno synth.

The result feels like a nod to the kind of indie pop that defined the early 2010s, with shades of Passion Pit, Phoenix, M83, and that era of music where even existential dread somehow came with a huge synth line.

As Kaitie puts it, “Millennial hopecore is back.”

The Other Side of “Fantasyland”

One of the smartest details in “Fantasyland” sits in the phrase itself.

Kayla points to the double meaning behind “lying in my fantasyland.” It can mean lying there with your head in the clouds, but it can also mean lying to yourself.

“The song sonically feels that way to me too,” she says, describing the contrast between its shimmering production and the more sarcastic edge underneath the lyrics.

Kaitie loves that the song could almost be mistaken for a happy love song on first listen.

“I love the sarcasm in this song that you might not catch on the first listen,” she says.

That balance feels very Moody Joody. They know how to pair emotional clarity with production that still makes you want to move.

There is also one detail most listeners would never guess: Andrew’s mom is behind the “na na na” vocals.

It is exactly the kind of small studio detail that makes the song feel even more personal.

Plain Jane Is Becoming a Full World

After six years as a band, Plain Jane gave Moody Joody the chance to think beyond individual singles and build an entire album from beginning to end.

“This was the first time we got to sit down and create a full album, start to finish,” Kayla says. “We have been dreaming up this album since the start of the band.”

That meant thinking about everything as part of the same world: titles, lyrics, instrumentation, visuals, and production.

For Andrew, the process has also meant becoming more ambitious.

“The core of the process has remained the same in a lot of ways, but I think we’re just always trying to push ourselves further and surprise ourselves even.”

Their creative rhythm still comes down to instinct.

Kaitie says they usually know pretty quickly when a song is working. Andrew describes it even more simply: “It just clicks.”

Kayla agrees. After years of writing together, the band knows when they have found that flow.

“We don’t usually overthink much as a band and sort of just let the chips fall where they may.”

That confidence seems to have carried into the album as a whole. Kayla says finishing Plain Jane brought her an unexpected sense of peace.

“It feels complete. It feels like the stories we wanted to tell, the theme, everything about it was cared for.”

Kaitie came away from the process with a new level of confidence in the band and in herself.

What Comes Next

Moody Joody have always made sense live, and the band is thinking more intentionally than ever about how these songs will exist once they leave the studio.

Andrew says the songs continue to evolve onstage, sometimes through small changes like a different drum fill or guitar line. Kaitie points to “Little Blue House,” which now has a live outro built around an Andrew guitar solo that she wishes had made it onto the recorded version.

For Kayla, playing “OOPS!” and “Heart Shaped Bed” live shifted the way she thinks about audience connection.

“Once you see how the energy and connection lands at a live show with an audience, you start to think about those moments more.”

“Fantasyland” is already becoming part of that world too. The band debuted it earlier this summer at a sold-out New York show and ended up dancing in the crowd with everyone.

That feels like the perfect place for the song to live.

When asked what they hope a new listener takes away from “Fantasyland,” Kaitie puts it simply:

“We’re who you need when you want to dance your tears away.”

With Plain Jane, Moody Joody are finally ready to show the full picture.

Stream “Fantasyland” by Moody Joody out now, and look for Plain Jane on October 30 via Photo Finish Records.

Photography: Dillon Jordan