Meet Mouthful, Minneapolis’ rising indie rock band

Mouthful” band members singer/songwriter Bean Bastounes (front), guitarist Chloe Penny (middle left), guitarist Emily Schnoover (middle right), bassist Mia Pariseau (back left), and drummer Alex Waibel (back right) sitting on rocks at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis on Friday, May 8, 2026. | Photo courtesy of Hollie Leggett (@hollieleggtt_). Meet Mouthful, Minneapolis’ rising indie rock band The Minneapolis indie rock band opens up about its origins, inspirations and plans for new music. Categories: Arts & Entertainment Marquee Music by Ava Gilhoi Published November 6, 2026 One of Minneapolis’ most exciting indie rock bands, Mouthful, shared their origins, inspirations and upcoming plans, including a show at 7th Street Entry on Thursday. The quintet, headlined by several former University of Minnesota students, is made up of members Bean Bastounes, Alex Waibel, Mia Pariseau, Chloe Penny and Emily Schnoover. Although Mouthful classifies themselves as an indie rock band, they draw inspiration from many diverse artists and circumstances, which they say makes their music hard to label. When creating their songs as a group, they play their instruments according to what the song calls for, as Bastounes put it, rather than strictly adhering to a genre. Some of their songs are loud, angsty and upbeat, while others are slow and melancholic. Origins Mouthful began years ago as singer-songwriter Bastounes was an undergraduate student at the University. While in school, she fell in love with the Minneapolis music scene and often went to shows around the area. “The music scene is one of the reasons I fell in love and decided to stay living in Minneapolis after college,” Bastounes said. Years ago, Bastounes was at Penny’s birthday party, talking about music on the porch when they decided they wanted to work together. “I was talking about how I write songs sometimes, but I don’t really do anything with them, and Chloe was like, ‘I would love to play your songs with you,’ and was really excited to do this,” Bastounes said. The two have been core members of the band ever since. In the past year, they recruited fellow University graduate and bassist Pariseau, drummer Waibel and guitarist Schnoover. Both Waibel and Pariseau were fans of the band before they joined, citing a special appreciation for their sound and lyricism. “I thought to myself, I needed to be in this band,” Waibel said. “These songs are really awesome.” “I joined the band because I loved the music,” Pariseau said. “It was one of the only bands I saw live that made me feel really emotional.” Once the band’s members were solidified, they took a lot of time discovering themselves as a group. “It was a lot of practice trying new things and working on new stuff,” Pariseau said. “Now we are confident in a way that we approach each of our own instruments individually and work with each other in a collective.” Inspirations One of the most unique aspects of the band is Bastounes’ songwriting. She has a background in creative writing and poetry, and she takes inspiration from her experiences, emotions and even her dreams. “Bean’s writing is really imagery-heavy,” Penny said. “One of the things I really like about it is that it brings a lot of seemingly unconnected things together and lets that create a story in your head, rather than trying to explicitly tell you how to feel about something.” Their last EP, “Grieving Ritual,” released in May of this year, had a song titled “Fruit Fly,” inspired by a fruit fly infestation in Bastounes’s apartment. At the time, Bastounes had pneumonia and was going through a breakup. “I found something poetic about that and wanted to conjure that image through a song,” Bastounes said. Although Bastounes writes the lyrics, the process is very collaborative. After she brings her lyrics and some chords to practice, the other members write their parts and jump in with what they’re hearing for the song. Today “Grieving Ritual” was the band’s first EP with all of their current members. After its release, the group has been playing shows, going on tours and, overall, figuring themselves out. Their show at 7th Street Entry on Nov. 5 was a testament to their versatility and flexibility as a band. Two of the band’s guitarists, Penny and Schnoover, were not able to make it to the show, so the group decided to experiment with their sound a bit. “When we have three guitars, we can get pretty loud, and we can create really huge moments, which is really awesome and really fun, but I think at the show, the focus has been: How do we take these songs and make them more intentional?” said Bastounes. The show will include some new elements, such as a pedal steel guitar, a violin and an acoustic guitar. What’s next? Going forward, Mouthful is looking to take a break from playing shows and focus on their writing and production. “It’s hard because I like playing shows, so it’s a balance,” Bastounes said. “Hopefully this month and this winter we can start locking in on writing because I’d love to put out new music. I have a bunch of songs that I want people to hear.” Inspired by a breakup, their new musical direction will showcase their growth as a band, while keeping elements that make Mouthful who they are, such as impactful imagery and emotional appeal. The group teased possibilities of including instruments from their Nov. 5 show in their upcoming songs, pending their thoughts post-show. “I’ve seen Bean go through a really big period of a life change over the past year, and I think moving from the last EP into working on some of the newer stuff together, I’ve seen huge growth in the way that she’s writing songs and the way she’s approaching and telling things that she’s experiencing in her life,” Pariseau said. Mouthful and Minneapolis The unique aspects of the music scene in Minneapolis make bands like Mouthful appreciated, respected and valued. Prioritizing local artists has always been one of Minneapolis’ strengths, creating an accessible community that musicians and music enjoyers alike can experience. “I’ve been going to house shows in the scene since I was like 15, 16 years old. I think the music scene here is so accessible,” Pariseau said. “You do have to know where to go a little bit, but it’s very easy to just show up to a show and pay $5 or pay no money.” Mouthful members said they appreciate these aspects of the Minneapolis music culture, prioritizing accessibility, relatability and honesty in both their music and their stage presence. “Being a student at a University is a really crazy experience. It’s a very destabilizing experience. You’re on your own for the first time. You’re friends with people that you just met, and you’re really trying to become an adult and become who you are. But that doesn’t stop when you graduate college,” Pariseau said. “You’re still constantly creating and ending friendships, still figuring yourself out, still growing as a person, and still experiencing difficulties in life and awesome moments in life. I think that really translates in our music.” While Mouthful is planning to take some time to write, they have another show on Saturday, Feb. 4th at 7th Street Entry. Their music is available to stream in the meantime on apps like Spotify and Apple Music. On their Instagram, @mouthfulmusic, they keep people up to date on upcoming shows and releases. View Story Comments 1 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment More to Discover More in Arts & Entertainment ‘More music’: The Minnesota Opera Orchestra puts on a benefit concert amid uncertain times Sombr brings “You Are The Reason” tour to Minneapolis LEGO fan convention Brick Cities unites generations at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Video: Halloween movie trivia on Dinkytown streets Gopher pride seizes University Avenue for homecoming Exploring history and mortality in Andersen Library's ‘Unbur