“The train never stops moving” – An Interview with Above The Moon
New Jersey rock band Above The Moon have just released their second EP of 2025. Having released the five track There Is No Arrival -Vol. 1 in March, the quartet have followed that up with five more new songs for Vol 2.
The two collection of songs, written over the last two years, explore the concept of living in the present moment – because that’s all we truly have. On reflective EP closer “When We’re Gone”, the band harmonize that “It’s your life, spend or waste it as you like. We’re all short on time..”. Standout track “Back and Forth” rattles along through a memorable verse and chorus before considering “I’m halfway to the end, I don’t think I could start again”.
Formed in late 2015, Above the Moon is made up of Kate Griffin (vocals, guitar), Kyle Griffin (bass), Shawn Murphy (guitar), and John Gramuglia (drums). Drawing from a diverse range of influences spanning singer-songwriter and rock to shoegaze and pop, the band has developed a distinctive sound entirely their own. They’ve released five EPs as well as 2023’s full length album Mine Again in that time.
We caught up with the band as they prepared for the release of There Is No Arrival – Vol. 2
IDOV – Hi! How’s everything going right now?
Kate: The horrors persist, but so do we!
IDOV – What classic album cover art is your current mood?
Kate: Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Shawn: Green Day – American Idiot
John: Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
Kyle: The Clash – London Calling
IDOV – Congrats on Vol 2 – really enjoyed listening to the new songs. When and where did you write and record the EP?
Shawn: We wrote and recorded both volume 1 and volume 2 at our home base, which is also my home studio – Bottle Hill Recording, in Madison. We began the recording process in April of 2024 and released Vol 1 in March of this year. At the same time we were wrapping up recording Vol 2 which will be released on November 12.
IDOV – Did you always envisage that “There Is No Arrival” would be two separate EPs (rather than one full album)?
Kate: As of this December we’ll have been a band for 10 years (crazy!) and at the end of each year we have a band meeting of sorts where we talk about what next year’s goals are in terms of playing out and writing/releasing music. At the 2024 meeting we realized that when it comes to releasing music, we’ve kind of done all the things: EP’s and singles recorded at studios and with producers, an acoustic EP and a full length album we recorded ourselves, etc. We had almost all of these songs written by then and decided that rather than releasing them all at once, or releasing some and sitting on the others, why not release them a little more slowly throughout the year? We wanted to see if we could keep up the momentum of writing and performing and recording simultaneously (easier said than done!) and also have things to look forward to in terms of releasing the music in smaller batches.
IDOV – You’ve also contributed a song to the Mint 400 Records David Bowie Compilation. How did that come about and what did you end up choosing and why?
Shawn: We’ve known Neil from Mint 400 Records for as long as we’ve been a band and played with his band Fairmont a few times. He knew we’ve been recording our own material and sent an email inviting us to be a part of this compilation.
We chose Under Pressure because it seemed like a song we could make our own. We specifically tried to avoid the well known bass line that starts off the song so we could make the song sound less like a direct cover and more like us. Die hard Bowie fans might hate it but we had fun working on it.
IDOV – If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?
Kate: Whatever and Ever, Amen – Ben Folds Five
Shawn: New Adventures in Hi-fi – R.E.M.
John: Appetite for Destruction – Guns N’ Roses
Kyle: Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers
IDOV – You’ve been together as a band for 10 years – what’s the secret to staying together?
Kate: Communication and consistency.
We’ve practiced almost every single week for the last 10 years. We only realized recently that apparently that’s kind of nuts. Lots of other bands we play with practice just before shows, or once a month. Practicing so frequently keeps us moving forward. And if there’s a week here or there where someone’s sick, or traveling, the remaining members are doing something band related: organizing shows, scheduling an interview, working on a video, writing, recording, etc. The train never stops moving.
Additionally, we’re actually friends. We enjoy each other’s company, and want each other to be happy. At practice we’re all open minded, feel comfortable trying new things or sharing our opinions. We’re constantly checking in with each other – Do we want to play this show? or How do we feel about this idea? We’re committed to this, and have learned how to balance families and jobs and other responsibilities as well as the band.
IDOV – Who did you grow up listening to that inspired you to become a musician?
Kate: Tons of local NJ bands like Feeling Left Out and The Escape Engine, but also bigger bands like Presidents of the United States of America, Spin Doctors, Save Ferris, and later singer/songwriters like KT Tunstall and Ben Folds.
Shawn: Growing up in the ‘90s I gravitated towards artists like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and REM. As most kids around that time, I was tuned in to MTV and saw the Smells Like Teen Spirit music video on repeat which made me want to pick up a guitar and form a band.
Kyle: I was listening to everything – The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Blink 182.
John: For me it was Motley Crue, Scorpions, Set Your Goals, Silverstein, Ozzy.
IDOV – Are you planning to do any shows to coincide with Vol 2’s release?
Shawn: We don’t have a release show planned but we’re currently booking gigs for 2026 and we’ll be playing a bunch of these and likely some new ones we’re already writing. Like Kate said, the train never stops rolling.
IDOV – What would go on your signature pizza and what would it be called?
Kate: Fig, caramelized onion, goat cheese – GOAT
Shawn: Mashed potatoes and scallions – The Murphy Masher
John: Cheddar, Pulled Pork and BBQ Sauce – The Billy Bob
Kyle: Fried chicken, vodka sauce, one warm chocolate chip cookie on the side – Chunky Sunday
IDOV – What’s next for Above The Moon in 2026?
Kate: We haven’t had our ‘25 meeting yet, but one of our main goals is always to keep doing this as long as we’re having fun.
You can find out more about Above The Moon by visiting their website and get all the latest news by following them on Instagram and Facebook.
Feature Image Credit – Natalie LaSpisa
