Have you ever listened to an album and thought, “Damn, these guys sound so good. I really want to talk to them and find out what was going through their heads when they made this?” Well, that’s exactly what happened to me with Portmanteau by Mock Surprise. Their debut album, released in 2025, quickly became one of my favorites.
That’s how my story with Mock Surprise began. I listened to their album, then their EP (fully released in 2022 according to Bandcamp), and I narrowly missed their 2025 show with Getchoo at Expirat. Because I couldn’t forgive myself for missing the chance to hear them live, I packed my bags and ended up at La Rock Music Festival in Ploiești just to see them.
I was right there in front of the stage propped up against some massive rocks, under a blazing sun, surrounded by people who kept walking by but stopped dead in their tracks because the band sounded just too good. I loved what I heard: their energy on stage was amazing, and more than anything, you could tell they were genuinely having fun even though it was almost impossible to breathe in that August 2025 heat.
I kept listening to them, following them on social media, and saw that they had parted ways with their female vocalist and were now performing with only a male voice. At first, that honestly worried me I wondered if they might be on the verge of breaking up and that I’d never get to see them live again. But luckily, Stray Lights brought them into their community, and at the end of February this year they played in Bucharest alongside Baby Elvis.
Mock Surprise released their new single Thumb, while Baby Elvis dropped their new album, World Fame. I was so excited to see them live again that I wouldn’t stop talking about them to all my friends. “Come on, it’s definitely going to be awesome. I’ll buy you a beer if it’s not.” (You can read Raluca Baciu’s impression about the concert here.)
We were dancing, waving our hands around like that cliché “there’s no tomorrow,” and I left the concert thinking, “I really need to talk to these guys.” Well, that and with a T-shirt in hand. Spoiler alert: they were absolutely killer, even without the female vocals.
With that slightly chaotic intro out of the way, let’s see who Mock Surprise actually are: Mock Surprise is an energetic alternative rock quartet, formed în 2019. Blending genres and influences, these twenty-something boys are always searching for new directions and sounds they can use to hide their pop leanings. Constantly switching between noisy
agresssion and gentle restraint, they are striving to bring about a change towards the experimental and the ambitious in the Eastern- European underground rock scene. To date, they have released an EP in 2021 and their debut album, entitled Portmanteau, in 2025. They are working on a follow-up, set to release in late 2026.
With the introductions out of the way and now that we know who we’re talking about, let’s see what the guys had to say in response to the questions.
For someone who does not know you, can you tell us who Mock Surprise is? How would you describe your sound in a few simple words?
We don’t have a sound per se, we just write the songs we want to write. Obviously, you can kind of pick out whatever we were listening to at the time. The new material for example is full of 90’s influences, we took inspiration from the likes of Deftones, Jawbox and Jeff Buckley, although unconsciously.
Do you feel closer to indie, experimental alternative, or classic rock, or do you try to avoid labels entirely?
It’s not about labels, it’s about songs and songwriting. If we have a great idea, we won’t try to force it into a genre it doesn’t fit into. We’re much more interested in realizing the full potential of every song we write, finding the most tasteful directions when it comes to production and instrumentation, even if that means incorporating elements of genres we aren’t a hundred percent familiar with. Our music is truly like a box of chocolates.
What are the main influences on your music, and how did the project start? What motivated you to make music together?
Some of us are interested in the craft of it, others like to perform, but we all feel like we have something to say. I won’t fall for the cliché of music being the only thing we know how to do, but it is the only thing we all are really certain about wanting to do.
How does the city you come from influence the way you sound as a band? And what other local bands inspired you?
At the risk of sounding ungrateful or snobby, we never really took influence from local bands and we never had a “local band” type of mindset. Even from the very beginning, our approach was more like “if it’s not international level, it’s not worth doing”. It has to be good without any excuses. Defining yourself as a local band, a school band, a teen band is an excuse. We never wanted to be any of those. I’m not saying we weren’t or aren’t, and I’m definitely not saying we’ve succeeded at making music of international quality, but that’s what we are striving for. “It’s good enough for scena locală” is an insult to scena locală :))
Your music seems to oscillate between control and chaos. How much of what we hear is planned, and how much comes spontaneously?
Most of what we play is rehearsed but most of the solos and vocal inflections are improvised. It’s always “do your thing but respect the song”.
Some bands build their sound around live energy, others around studio production. Where does Mock Surprise fall on this spectrum?
All of us have studio experience and we have very strong opinions on what our records should sound like. Luckily we’ve been working on acquiring the technical know-how to make that happen. We are also working on streamlining our live setup and solidifying the songs as much as possible to be able to focus on enjoying ourselves on stage and getting out of our heads. So we probably fall somewhere in the middle.
What role do atmosphere and dynamics play in your live shows compared to technical performance?
So far we’ve been focusing on the music and our playing, but we’re in the process of coming up with ways to make the live show more fun.
You recently finished your tour after releasing your latest single. How did it go? Was there a memorable moment from the tour, and is there anything that could have been improved?
It was great, the highs were very high, amazing crowds. And we’re so happy that people seemed into the all-new setlist. The biggest improvement would probably be someone surprising us with a minivan.
Talking more about technical performance… How do you know when a song is “finished” and doesn’t need any more changes?
There are two ways in which a Mock Surprise song gets finished: we all just “know” that it’s done or we argue over the tiniest details over literal years until everybody’s ideas are compromised into something that none of us really like at first but then it starts feeling right and we all agree that it was worth it in the end (or we just go back to the first version).
Is there a song of yours that represents the band best at the moment? And if someone could only listen to one Mock Surprise song to understand the band, which one would you recommend?
Probably the new single, Thumb. Not because it is the new single and we have to plug it, but because it shows some of the directions in which the new album is going to venture.
What is the most unexpected feedback you’ve ever received about your music? How did it shape the future of the songs after it?
Someone once said we sound like Dream Theater. We had a laugh and continued not writing songs that sound like Dream Theater.
Do you think audiences in Romania are open to experimentation in rock, or do they still prefer more traditional formulas?
It depends on the age group as well, and the nature of the experimentation – you have to package it well. But overall yes, even though classic rock nostalgia and quirky punk seem like the go-to options at the moment.
You’re part of the Stray Lights community. What does being part of this platform and collaborating with other bands mean for you?
It’s a huge deal for us, and we’re very honored that we’re being accepted and taken seriously by people we look up to and people whose music we love. It’s a very dope initiative and it brings together some of the coolest acts in the country.
Do you have any messages for your fans? And for the people who will read this interview?
We love you. Thanks for being into whatever we’re doing, it’s the most incredible thing that we’re forever gonna be grateful for. This time last year we couldn’t have imagined being where we are now. However awkward and annoying we might be, we do genuinely appreciate every single one of you.
To sum up, Mock Surprise proves that great music doesn’t need to fit into a box. With a sound that blends spontaneity and precision, influences both classic and experimental, and a commitment to doing things their own way, they continue to push the boundaries of what rock can be. Whether you’re discovering them for the first time or following their journey closely, one thing is clear: Mock Surprise is a band that invites you to listen, feel, and expect the unexpected.
Follow them on socials, buy their pretty merch and see you in front of the stage at their concets.
Text and interview by Ionela Pleșan
Rock Monsters Romania 
Leave a comment