Since their humble beginnings in Venice Beach, California, The Mowgli’s have been releasing upbeat indie-rock hits filled with messages of love and positivity. Early catchy songs like “San Francisco” and “I’m Good” got stuck in listeners’ heads for days and took the band to the charts.
Now, The Mowgli’s are gearing up for the release of their second independent EP, American Feelings, out March 1. I had the chance to chat with band members Josh Hogan and Katie Jayne Earl about their upcoming release and their time in the music industry.
Hogan, who lends his guitar skills and vocals to The Mowgli’s, and Earl, also on vocals, make up only part of the six-person group.
American Feelings is the band’s second EP following 2018’s I Was Starting To Wonder and their fifth overall release. Every week in February, the band has been releasing one song off of the EP, culminating in the final song to mark the release of the full collection on March 1. These smaller collections have allowed the group to release more content for fans at a faster rate. As Earl acknowledges, most fans listen to new music on playlists anyways, so how the songs are packaged becomes less of a concern for fans.
The name American Feelings stems from the common theme running through the album of the band’s honest expressions as Americans. Hogan hopes the overall idea can speak to listeners who may be feeling the same way.
Norman Rockwell, known for painting the American spirit throughout his works, inspired the name of the third song released from the EP. As Hogan explains, the band liked the idea of “painting yourself a new life,” and crafted the song around that.
Since “Norman Rockwell” is a markedly more emotional and a slower song compared to their prominently upbeat discography, its place in a live setting is new for the band. As Earl explains, “I think it’ll be really hard to play live because it makes us all really emotional, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
As The Mowgli’s look ahead to their 10-year anniversary of the band in 2020, Katie reflects on her time in the music industry and her support system through the ups and downs of the business.
“I think the hardest and most important lesson is to stay true to who you are and surround yourself with people who love you despite your success. True friends and family will always keep you grounded and rooted in your personal truth,” she shares.
Despite the difficult and tiring aspects of touring, Earl says she is ready to get back in front of the fans; “When we’re on stage and people are signing with us, none of that seems to matter.”
The Mowgli’s nation-wide, co-headlining “Making Friends” tour with Jukebox the Ghost kicks off February 26 in North Carolina and runs through the end of March.
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