Five For Five With Olivier Roy from Boundaries
I first got into Boundaries shortly after I moved to Switzerland. I don't remember how i found them, but i did, and i am stoked. If you like Backtrack, Comeback Kid, No Warning and that sort of hardcore, Boundaries will likely melt your face. They'll be in Europe soon, so show these Canadian shredders some love when they come through.
If you had to introduce extraterrestrials to music with five records, what would they be?
Since you wanted five, I asked each of my boys to give me one pick.
Max: The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me - Brand New
Oli: Veni Vidi Vicous - The Hives
Tony Freeze: Crisis - Alexisonfire
Louis: Violence Violence - Ceremony
Alex: Nocturnal - The Midnight
The new album "Turning Point" picks up where "Quarter Life Crisis" left off. Full of honesty, rage and anger. Is it really a Turning Point after a Quarter Life Crisis for you as a band? Are the albums a reflection of where you find yourself at different points in your lives?
Yeah, that's pretty much it really. I guess we're not very subtle with our album titles, but it speaks true.
QLC was us trying to find who we were personally and also musically as a band. We were trying things left and right without really knowing how it was gonna come out, but we didn't care because we felt an urge to create something that was ours.
In the two years that followed, I think a lot of things became clearer. I think we realized the true potential of what we had inadvertently created and we consciously decided that this band was going to be a big part of our lives. Also, when we left the studio, we felt satisfied with what we had done and knew we had a strong record in our hands. So, even without knowing what this album was going to do for us or how it was gonna be received, we felt confident with making its title a statement. We knew that no matter what, this album is what cemented our chemistry and identity as a band and is a testament that we're in this for the long haul.
The songwriting on "Turning Point" is on a different level than your previous effort, resulting in a much more cohesive album (one of my favourites of 2019). Was the writing and recording process different that on "Quarter Life Crisis", or was it just you al evolving as musicians?
Well, it's a bit of both.
That time around, we wrote more songs that we needed for the album, which I think made a big difference since we kept only the best ones.
Also, we were more prepared, we knew what we were getting into and we booked more time in the studio. We spent a lot more time figuring out the tracklisting as well to make sure to get the vibe we wanted. I think the final tracklisting that composed the album was the fourth attempt, which is something we didn't spend much time on with QLC.
I think it was the result of us evolving organically as a unit too. On the QLC album cycle, we played nearly a hundred shows and wrote a lot in between, so we were all more comfortable playing with each other and we all knew better how to use each other strengths.
What would you say your biggest musical influences are?
It's all over the map really. We're all just fans of music in general and I think that's what makes us interesting in a way.
Especially that we are usually inspired by things outside of the Hardcore world to write our music.
What's happening for Boundaries in 2020?
Hopefully a lot of touring. There is a bunch of stuff that we're putting together right now. If everything works out we'll be on the road a big chunk of next year.
Also, we should be back in the studio at some point to record our third album.