Q&A: Penny Bored Releases “I’m Bored!” EP: A Nostalgic Soundtrack for Navigating the Chaos of Your 20s
A NOSTALGIC ODE TO GROWING PAINS — Penny Bored, the solo project of songwriter Faith Alesia, has returned with their latest release, I’M BORED!, an EP that perfectly captures the relatable struggles of young adulthood. The new EP marks a significant milestone in Alesia’s career as it’s their second overall, and the first under Open Your Ears Records. Featuring the standout singles “On Hold,” “Gossip” and “Dance In Hell,” I’M BORED! is an infectious blend of pop rock energy and unfiltered emotional storytelling.
For Alesia, the EP represents more than just nostalgic music they grew up listening to — it’s a reflection of the messy, complex, and often frustrating experience of navigating your 20s.
“We experience heartbreak, navigate friendships, gossip, and even learn to own up to our own mistakes,” Alesia shares about the EP's thematic core. I’M BORED! explores these feelings with an undeniable sense of honesty, where songs act as both an outlet for vulnerability and a reminder that it’s okay to be confused while finding your footing in adulthood. “This collection of songs breaks down my journey of entering a new phase of adulthood and learning to make the most of it, even if I have to be a little delusional some days to get through it,” Alesia says.
What makes I’M BORED! stand out is Alesia’s ability to tackle heavy topics like mental health and personal growth with an undeniable pop rock charm. Penny Bored’s sound takes strong inspiration from the early 2000s pop-punk and emo scenes, creating a nostalgic yet fresh backdrop to Alesia’s deeply personal lyrics. By combining catchy, anthemic melodies with raw and vulnerable storytelling, Penny Bored has created a space where listeners can relate to the highs and lows of navigating early adulthood. Through this music, Penny Bored fosters a sense of community, assuring fans that they are not alone in their struggles.
I’M BORED! delivers not just a collection of relatable tracks, but a powerful message: it’s never too late to pursue your passions.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
PENNY: My name is Penny Bored. I'm a pop-rock artist from Dallas, Texas, and I'm really inspired by the early 2000s, whether it's Disney Channel soundtracks or the good old MySpace days. I grew up finding so many different bands and artists on MySpace, and then that switched over to Tumblr and started finding more artists there. This is really just me healing my inner child and following those childhood dreams of wanting to pursue music.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
PENNY: A lot of my songs, they're pretty open and honest about a lot of things that I'm going through. I just really hope that people are able to find a safe space within those songs with whatever they happen to be going through and be reminded that they aren't alone. I would love for my music to be some sort of escape as well, like, if you're down and you need a song to lift you up, then I've got songs for that as well.
LUNA: Are there particular moods or themes you find yourself gravitating towards when writing and performing? How do you channel these into your music?
PENNY: I feel like I tend to write sad songs that you could dance to, because if you really listen to the lyrics, you're like, this is a little rough, but also you can't help but to dance around. I always think of it as when you have a dance party in your room, like after you're done cleaning or you have friends over.
LUNA: You just released your sophomore EP I’M BORED! and a huge congratulations is in order! I love how it pushes boundaries within your own sound and also takes on huge nostalgic influences. What is the inspiration behind the EP?
PENNY: I felt like it was time for me to explore with my sound a little bit more. I had been doing this for about four years now, which is crazy to think about. I started saying that I'm bored, which is kind of ironic considering my name is Penny Bored. I just wanted to start playing with new sounds and lean more into a pop direction, but it still has that angsty, nostalgic feel to it.
LUNA: Can you walk us through the creative process for I’M BORED! How did the project evolve from the initial idea to the final version?
PENNY: A lot of these songs had different writing processes. There were a few of them that my producer, Jojo, sent me an instrumental that he'd been working on that would be a great sound for Penny Bored. I would immediately click with it and start writing to it. There were also some other songs that I had some lyrics on the back burner and didn't really know what I was going to use them for, and was able to bring them to the studio and see what we could create with them. Some of the songs, it was like a combo of the two where we were just puzzle piecing things together. We kept saying to let the music write itself and this song will take on a new life on its own. Let's not force anything and just see whatever happens.
LUNA: This is your first big project since your What If? As If! EP last year. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with I’M BORED! since your previous releases?
PENNY: I feel like overall, aesthetically, the project has taken a little bit of a shift. The sound has definitely shifted, but I also wanted the overall creatives to match that as well. I feel like everything's always been super bright and fun and pretty DIY, but I always had those emo aspects to it. I really started to tap into my feminine energy and was rethinking the wardrobe for this era and what the music videos were going to look like. Overall, creatively, I wanted to take on a new approach to things and not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I got used to doing the same things over and over again, but with these music videos, I wanted to branch out and do something different than what I was used to.
Photography Credit: Hope Alvarez
LUNA: What is your favorite song from I’M BORED! and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
PENNY: I feel like it like has been changing every week, but overall, I think I'm going to go with “gossip,” just because the whole process with “gossip” changed my life in a way I was really able to express the queer journey that I've been experiencing since god knows how long. I was able to talk about that in the music video, and then working on that song with some really good friends of mine, and being able to bring the dance choreography into the music video was really great as well. The whole journey with “gossip” has really made it my favorite, but also the song is really fun. It's really simple. I like the less is more aspect to it.
LUNA: Looking back, what are some of your favorite memories from the journey of bringing I’M BORED! to life?
PENNY: I think working with everyone in the studio and on the music video shoots. It was really cool to see everyone come together for this project, and we all were sharing stories and our experiences as creatives. It was really inspiring. I'm already super motivated to start writing again. That's always my favorite part of being a musician, just getting to connect with other people and creatives.
LUNA: What messages, emotions or story do you hope your listeners can take away with I’M BORED!?
PENNY: I feel like a lot of the songs, for me personally, dive into a reflection of my 20s. I'm 28 now, and so I'm definitely a different person than I was at 20 years old. I want people to go in with an open mind and be able to think that it's okay to change and evolve over the years. Every little bit of progress is great to reflect on, but also, don't be afraid to own up to your own mistakes and also enjoy the little things in life. A whole lot that comes with navigating your 20s. I really hope that this can be the soundtrack for a lot of people when they're going through their 20s.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Luna?
PENNY: I'm just really inspired. We're working on a lot right now. I have a show coming up in New York City. It's my first time playing in New York City on October 12. We have a pop up event in Dallas on October 18. I literally just spent the last two days helping my friends build the exhibits. We have these life size props and everything. It's a lot. There's a lot of creativity here. I go back to the studio in November, so it's just a lot of creative energy and I’m feeling really inspired and motivated right now.
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