Q&A: Mood Bored’s ‘Too Much?’ Captures the Reckless Abandon of Youth
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY NTHATILE MAVUSO ☆
MOOD BORED ARTFULLY EMBODIES THE RESTLESSNESS, ANXIETY, AND FEVER that comes with being young on their sophomore EP Too Much? The four-track EP exhibits the band’s impressive technical and storytelling abilities. The group lays out an all too relatable narrative throughout this project both lyrically, and in the lively composition and arrangement of the instrumentation and vocals.
Mytre Driesenaar, Daan Stuyven, and Timo de Wit first met at the Rock Academy in Tilburg, Netherlands. Their shared love for unpolished chords, nostalgic refrains, and gritty rhythms led to the formation of their band and their continuous pursuit of immersive sonic landscapes and thought-provoking songwriting.
Released via Mattan Records on February 21, Too Much? strikes a nuanced balance between clarity and chaos, delivering a grunge-infused, energetic, and irresistibly fuzzy sound. Marking a shift from bedroom recordings to a more refined studio setup, the project showcases elevated production and a deliberate approach to layering musical elements. At its core, the EP is a gut punch of self-doubt, existential panic, and the relentless search for meaning—an honest reflection of survival in a world that constantly demands more than any young person can even imagine giving.
Luna had an intriguing conversation with Mytre Driesenaar and Daan Stuyven of Mood Bored about their sophomore offering, having the EP pressed on vinyl and the importance of friendship in their creative journey.
LUNA: How do you feel about releasing Too Much?
DAAN: Excited. It’s been a while since our first EP, and we’re really looking forward to this next chapter. We’re excited to release new music, share our growth, and show how our sound has evolved. It feels like a fresh era for us, and it’s beautiful to finally share that with everyone. We recorded our first EP ourselves in a bedroom thinking that no one would ever really hear it. It just happened really, even though it sounded cohesive in the end.
MYTRE: There is more intention with the production, from the way it sounds to the people we worked with…[we have] more of a concept here.
LUNA: You mentioned how it's different from your debut, where you handled everything yourselves. Now, with more opportunities and collaborators, how was the process of creating this project? What were your favorite moments in making it?
DAAN: We recorded the first two songs, “All the Time” and “Wake Up With You,” with British producer Ali Chant, traveling to Bristol and working in his studio was a major highlight for us. This EP stands out because we put much more thought into the sound compared to our debut. It’s more layered, more intentional, and carefully crafted. Even though the process sometimes felt chaotic and messy—like piecing together a puzzle—the final result feels cohesive and complete.
MYTRE: We recorded some of the songs with Ali Chant in a great studio in Bristol (UK), while the rest were done in Belgium at another amazing studio. It wasn’t all in one place because we were still figuring out what we wanted to do with the songs. Initially, we considered going back to England, but it didn’t work out, so we adapted.
Half of the EP was produced with Ali Chant, while the other half was self-produced—but in a more refined way, with a great studio and engineer supporting us. It was a more professional approach than before, but it still felt like us. Even though we’ve become more intentional with our process, there’s still an element of spontaneity and chaos in how we piece things together.
LUNA: You mentioned the EP rollout. Beyond the release, what promotional activities or support can we look forward to? Will there be performances, music videos, or other concepts following the release?
MYTRE: We're playing three release shows in the Netherlands and heading to London in March for a show, which is really exciting. Our main focus has been refining our headline show, pushing it to the next level, and bringing that energy to every venue we play. We've also been continuously writing new music—always creating.
As for the vinyl, our EP has four songs, but those who buy the vinyl will get a fifth bonus track. It’s a little extra for those who support us, which makes it even more special. We’re also hoping to play some cool festivals this summer!
LUNA: Why did you decide to release the EP on vinyl? I’ve noticed many artists returning to traditional formats like this, and I’m curious about your reasoning. Was it a creative choice, a promotional strategy, or both? Also, what led to the decision to include an extra song on the vinyl release?
DAAN: It’s both. We’re not huge vinyl nerds who can tell the difference in sound quality, but there’s something special about having a physical copy that makes it more meaningful. Having our music pressed onto vinyl feels much more permanent than just streaming it on Spotify, where songs can come and go.
MYTRE: There’s something special about being able to hold a physical copy, something tangible to be proud of. People at our shows often ask if we have vinyl, and we wanted to create something truly special for those who support us in that way. If fans are willing to spend money on a physical release, we want to give them something extra—something that feels like a “thank you” for their support. That’s why we included a bonus track and made sure the vinyl itself was visually unique. We even got to choose the color—we wanted to go for something more funky blue.
LUNA: Is this trend influenced by other artists in the Netherlands? Is releasing on vinyl something common in the music scene there, or was this a personal choice?
MYTRE: It feels like the natural next step for a band. I’m not sure how it is in other countries, but here, most bands release vinyl, and it’s common to see them available. We have a record player—though it’s not very good, and actually, it’s broken at the moment—and we still buy vinyl. It’s something we really appreciate, both as musicians and as fans.
DAAN: We’ve been looking at other artists to learn how to navigate being a band. We know how to write and play music, but everything else that comes with being in a band is something we’re figuring out as we go. We take inspiration from bands we admire, whether they’re well-known or just friends of ours.
LUNA: Definitely, yeah, I think we're seeing a resurgence with people buying the records and traditional media and artists kind of playing into that—I really admire the effort from both sides to keep physical media alive.
MYTRE: It can be expensive, and honestly, we have no idea how it will go since we've never done this before. We don’t know if people will actually buy it or if we’ll lose money, but that’s part of the risk. We figured we’d try, see what happens, and learn from it. Hopefully, we’ll at least break even—otherwise, well, we’ll find out!
LUNA: You’ve mentioned feeling more mature and wanting that growth to reflect in your music, execution, sales, and packaging. Can you take me through the songwriting process? What themes are you exploring, and what story are you trying to tell? You’ve described the lyrics as more introspective and reflective of where you are mentally as a band.
MYTRE: Compared to the first EP, the themes are still similar because they come from the same personal experiences and emotions I’ve always written about. However, this time, they’re explored with more depth and seriousness. Too Much? feels like a collection of questions—"Is it too much? Am I doing the right thing?" As we get older, the insecurities we once brushed off don’t just disappear. Instead, they linger, and we start to wonder if it's still acceptable to feel this way. It shifts from being a passing doubt to a deeper reflection—asking, "What now?" The key is in realizing you are not going to fix an existential crisis.
DAAN: It becomes more desperate and neurotic over time because you think maturity means having all the answers, but as time passes, you realize you don’t. That uncertainty is amplified by the realities of making music—there’s not much money in it, and you’re constantly questioning whether you made the right choice.
Beyond that, everything we create exists within a capitalist system that isn’t designed for artists. It forces us into a cycle of constant output—“Do this, be happy, be perfect, make money.” “All the Time” especially reflects this struggle, exploring the pressures of societal expectations and how they weigh even heavier on creatives. It’s not how things are meant to be, but it’s the reality we navigate.
LUNA: I completely get that, and I love it. How do you feel that translated into the production? Not just in terms of what you're expressing through the lyrics, but how your mindset shaped the actual sound. Also, could you break down your roles in the making of the EP? I’d love to know what each member contributes and how you channel your emotions into the music itself.
MYTRE: The production on this EP feels a lot less sweet and more direct. In the past, our sound was a bit mellow, even though we were influenced by noisier music. This time, we wanted to be more intentional and raw rather than rounding things out too much. It wasn’t about making it sound chaotic just for the sake of it, but about making sure each song had the right energy and impact. As for our roles, songwriting is a very collaborative process. I write all the lyrics, but beyond that, we all contribute equally to writing the music. It’s not a clear division of responsibilities—everyone is involved in shaping the sound. Some of us are more technical with certain aspects, but we all have input on everything, which is exactly how it should be. Timo is the drummer, I play bass and sing, but none of us are hyper-technical musicians. I wasn’t even a bassist before this band. Instead of sticking to rigid roles, we write parts collectively, with everyone contributing to the songwriting process as a whole. It’s always about serving the song rather than focusing on individual expertise.
DAAN: In a way, we stripped back the polish and embraced a noisier, rougher sound. I think that reflects the desperation we were trying to capture—it’s more chaotic and raw, which feels true to the emotions behind the music. We are also not strictly defined by our instruments.LUNA: How do you bring your ideas together as a band? Since you're all individuals with different perspectives, how do you balance respecting each other’s input while ensuring the final result feels harmonious and represents what everyone wants?
MYTRE: It’s funny because we were just talking about this today—but sometimes it feels like we share one brain. When we're in the rehearsal room, which we do every week, we start playing and jamming, and without saying anything, we instinctively know what the other person should do. It feels automatic like we’re completely in sync. There’s never any difficulty discussing what works or doesn’t. We’re comfortable saying if something sounds bad, and it’s never a big deal. I think that’s because we’re friends first, we know, understand, and respect each other, and we’re often on the same page about how we feel and what we want. That makes playing together so much easier.
DAAN: We’ve always been friends first, and while we could have expanded the band, we wanted to stay a three-piece. Sometimes it’s challenging to translate songs with just three people, but we like the dynamic we have. If we brought in someone new who wasn’t part of this friendship, it would feel different—maybe even weird. Right now, we never have to worry about holding back or filtering what we say, and that makes everything so much easier.
LUNA: How did your band come together, and when did this journey start for you? Also, what’s the story behind the name Mood Bored and its unique spelling?
DAAN: We met at music university. There were band courses where we had to perform in different groups every term. We had all played together in various combinations but never as a full group until one specific session, and it just clicked. We've been the same ever since. Finding gigs and even a label came surprisingly easy, but choosing a name? That was pure chaos.
MYTRE: We were all friends who played music together, so we figured, why not make it official as a band instead of just collaborating on different projects? But we’re procrastinators—so even though we had music, we didn’t have a name. At one point, we had to apply for something that required a band name, and of course, we didn’t have one. We had this mood board and mind map we’d been using for ideas, and I had also made a separate mood board for something else. We thought it was funny to turn that into a pun, especially since our list of potential names was mostly terrible. Mood Bored seemed like the best of the bad options, so we just went with it. When I imagined introducing ourselves with different names, Mood Bored was the only one that actually felt right—so we sent it in, and that was that.
