Fresh from a North American tour last month that included SXSW showcases, New Zealand indie pop band Borderline's newest release is the single 'When It's Raining'.
Filled with nostalgic pop tones of the '70s with a contemporary feel laced with a gritty alternative rhythm, and topped off by vocal harmonies that are epic as well as soaked in sensuality, 'When It's Raining' highlights a band coming into their own creatively.Borderline describe 'When It's Raining' as "trying to capture the feeling of being completely lost in your anger and sadness; when you can't see a future where things get better.
"It's a universal feeling, and we hope this song will make people (feel) seen and understand that they're not alone in their struggles."
The band teamed with creative Tom Grut to film the song's music video. "It is always a pleasure collaborating with the boys," Tom says.
"I was particularly excited about taking the bright, colourful world we'd built with 'Heartbeat' and completely rejecting it with this song, really grounding it and showing off more gritty mature direction in which they're heading."
Who is Borderline... We're a band of four guys from New Zealand. We're all best mates and more than anything, we just love to make music together.
We sound like... Our sound is really a blend of a bunch of our inspirations, but it boils down to a pop, rock sound with influences of funk, folk and lots more.
Our first gig was... I think our first gig was at a venue called the Central Vineyard Community Hall, which was a really small venue in Grey Lynn in Auckland. It was us and some friends playing, and it was such a blast.
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... All we can remember about the creation of the name 'Borderline' was that we were on our text chain one night tossing a million ideas around, and I guess 'Borderline' is what stuck.
In the studio we usually... Our process in the studio varies a lot, but most of the time we build a solid musical bed and then start crafting the song from there. We might start with creating a section or loop that inspires us and building that and turning it into a full song.
If we could tour with anyone... That's a really good question. I think Coldplay would be awesome, they're a huge inspiration for us and it would be really fun to be part of their shows.
Social media is... So great! It's done such great things for us. It's allowed us to really connect with our audience and build a real following which is so special.
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... Probably when Matt fell asleep eight times at Disneyland including on a ride. The Disneyland staff had to wake him to check his harness so they could start the ride.
Life on the road can be... Very busy, but so rewarding. It's so much fun getting to see other parts of the world, and it's beyond incredible to us that people listen to the music outside of our little bubble in NZ.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Four slightly green bananas. (Yes that's actually on our rider).
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in, was... When we thought Matt wasn't gonna make it on the plane. We all got through security and Matt was at the back of the pack, and he got stopped for having guitar tools in his carry on.
We were already running super late, so we rushed to our gate hoping Matt would follow along, but they took so long going through his things they started taking his bags off the plane thinking he wasn't gonna make it. Luckily he ran through just in time.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Someone with a really iconic voice, maybe Morgan Freeman or Christopher Walken.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? We recently all went to New York for the first time and we really loved it. That would probably be our choice right now. It's such a busy city, there's lots going on all the time which we love.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Steve-O, Flea, and T.J. Miller. That's a recipe for disaster.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Matt would be cooking some kind of pasta. That's his specialty dish.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? One hundred per cent lover.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Asahi.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... A while ago, we should really get back there.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Packing down after a show.
Do you have any phobias... Being on time for things.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I think our lives already seem like a reality show sometimes, but probably one of those TLC shows, those are pretty wild.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? Collectively we often prank Matt. Usually these pranks involve waking him up in some extravagant way: bucket of water, loud noises, live bugs etc.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? Barilla Dumplings is one of our all time faves; it's not just a meal – it's an experience.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? I think Jake The Dog from 'Adventure Time' is a great representation of our band's personality. Cool and laid-back, but a little bit goofy too.
