Do you remember the front porch at your favorite house venue? Do you remember smoking an American Spirit on a chilly autumn night when the band starts playing? And then there comes an inevitable decision: do I stay out here or do I go back inside?

Mock Bishop is one of those bands that would have brought me in from the cold. From the opening moments of their self-titled EP, it’s clear the band needed to write these songs. There’s nothing phoned in here – it’s 16 minutes of passionate, driving emo revival for these new roaring 20s. After a long absence from music, Austin Hohiemer (vocals/guitar), Dillon Casey (vocals/guitar), Spencer Bray (bass), and Travis Cox (drums) wrote some new songs, collected some old riffs, and headed back to the studio.

Opener “Rose Street” juxtaposes feel-good melodies with lyrics that feel inspired by post-pandemic social anxiety. “Prescriptions” tackles the array of substances many of us lean on just to get through another day. “Ssmf” deals with how to start living with a future in mind. Closer “Stare” has some of the mathiest riffs on the EP, bringing this batch of material to its jangly, resplendent end.

In the opening song, Hohiemer and Casey sing, “We’re not in college anymore.” We’re all growing up, and these songs reflect the worries of modern adult life. Reflecting on the new EP, Casey says, “These songs are about growth and what that means for each of us.” How do we keep it all balanced? How do we get up and continue to go to work, cook, and take care of ourselves every single day? Mock Bishop might not know the answer, but they’ve got the soundtrack to get us through these moments of ennui.

Y’all played with a lot of bands from the 2010s emo revival. What do you feel like those bands taught you?

Austin Hohiemer: I started as a big fan of those bands. So, going from listening to them in my room to playing shows with them a couple of years later was really cool. And I think it really showed me that anyone can do this. There’s an incredible amount of talent in that scene, but there was no one behind the scenes giving them permission to make a record or throw a house show or go on tour. I think in some way, I needed to see that up close to understand that I could do it, too.

What happens when a band takes some time away from making music? Does the wall of inertia keep growing taller and taller?

Austin: For me, I think that wall got smaller and smaller while I was away. The really hard parts about making music and touring were all I could think about when I stepped away. But over time, those memories started to fade into the background, and I was able to slowly fall back in love with it all. The more successful you get as a musician, and I’ve never even been *that* successful, the more time you need to spend on all of these things that aren’t really related to music. I think starting over with no expectations outside of having fun with my friends was really freeing and exciting.

Travis Cox: In my experience, time away from making music was time spent learning about myself and becoming a dad. Music pushed further back into my mind while I began to process the newest part of my identity. After a while, thoughts on parenting, friendship, and what roles I fit into started to collect in my notes and voice memos. Even though returning to music seemed like an impossibility, I started sharing ideas with Austin, who would send back guitar parts, lyrics, and much more listenable takes on the vocal melodies I had been trying to put together.

I’ve known all these guys for over a decade, so when the four of us played music together in the same room for the first time, it was exactly what I hoped it would be. Nothing serious, just friends connecting over songs. It’s been really fulfilling returning to music with new insights, new inspirations, no pressure, and my best buds.

Dillon Casey: Music became a chore of routine for me back then. Practice on Wednesdays – day drinking, play a show a month – get hammered, short tours as often as we could – benders. It got to a point where it was only about playing shows and drinking. I wasn’t connecting with why I was doing it anymore. I love writing music to process life. Outside of therapy, it’s the only way I’ve ever been able to work through the tough things in my life. Returning to it, the wall seemed impenetrable at first – the same way therapy felt useless when I first started. It very quickly fell away, and I’ve been able to reconnect with why I started writing music in the first place in the best way.

What excited you about making these songs?

Austin: From day one, this band’s really been about friends doing something we love to do together. Going into the writing process, we didn’t have a lot of expectations, a timeline, or a band name. We had the space to figure out what we wanted this to be and to write and rewrite until we were really happy with the songs. It was super fun to get back to basics and just let it happen.

Travis: I think the most exciting thing about making these songs is how incredibly talented the other guys are. I’m so impressed every time someone sends a part to the group text. After years of not playing, it feels great to be playing songs that challenge me and make me a better drummer.

Dillon: The most exciting part about writing and arranging these songs was getting everyone’s input. It was mostly over long distance, long-winded, and frustrating, but so rewarding when the parts and eventually full songs would come together and I would just think, “Damn, this is a bop,” over and over again.

Where can we find you this year? Plans to tour?

Austin: Dillon and his wife are getting ready to welcome a baby this summer, so we’re planning to take a step back for the rest of the year. In the meantime, we’re working on new songs and booking a handful of shows for the fall and winter. We’re taking it one step at a time, and we’re so grateful for everyone that’s listening and sharing. I think next year is going to be really fun.

Dillon: I’ll be changing a lot of diapers and learning how to be a dad for the remainder of the year. We have a lot of new music in the pipeline, and I’m hoping to flesh out some of those songs throughout that time.

Mock Bishop Website / Instagram / Bandcamp