Interview: Update with Borderline.

So, what have you been up to since we last saw you back in October 2024?
Wow, back in October, we had just put out our single, Heartbeat. Then we went and played in Australia for a bit, which was awesome. We've been in studio mode ever since, working hard on some new songs, and now it’s April! In March, we headed over to the States for a tour, which has been a massive thing we had been working towards for ages. It’s been pretty nonstop.

America, that’s pretty crazy, how did that come to be and tell us some more of what went down.
The USA trip was awesome and so special. We signed with a record label based in San Francisco called Empire, just before Christmas, and there had been talks for a while to get us over there to play some shows. Next thing you know, we’ve been booked to play South by Southwest, a major music industry festival held in Austin, Texas. It was kind of perfect because it gave us an excuse to go over to San Francisco and meet up with our new label in person to do a showcase with them. From there, we played six shows in Austin, followed by more shows in New York and LA, and then rounded out the trip at Disneyland. It was such a whirlwind, but we got to play at some amazing venues, including Anderon Paak’s Bar next to the Troubadour. By the time we all got to Disneyland, we were exhausted, almost falling asleep on the rides. I had strep throat, which, as a vocalist, is not ideal. So, I was battling through it, using my phone to communicate with everyone. We were just so determined to spend those last days at Disneyland, and there was no way I was going to miss it; no amount of lost sleep or strep throat was going to stop us

After performing in the US, how did you find the fans?
I think when we went across, we weren't too sure what to expect, because obviously it was our first time there as a band, and we didn't really know if we had any fans there. But we were pleasantly surprised. People were there singing all the lyrics to all our songs. It was pretty crazy, we were talking to some fans after the show, and they had driven from Houston to Austin just to hear us play, that’s like a three-hour drive, which is special, you know that people care about us as a band.

After being on the go so much for the last 6 months, do you feel that you’ve learnt more about yourselves as a band and individually? What is the main thing you’ve taken from this experience?
It's a good question. I think the big one is to sleep well and take care of yourself. I think when you do a four-day tour, you know you can push through and then recover after, but when you're gone for a month or so at a time, you don’t get that downtime to recoup and take some self-care time. It’s just go go go. I mean, in America, I think Matt was living off Rice Krispies treats and Pop-Tarts. I definitely think we need to eat more fruits and vegetables next time.

Have you found that in different places where you perform, the fans react differently to your music, or certain songs are enjoyed differently depending on the location?
It's hard to know specifically, this song went down better with this audience, it's sort of  hard to gauge. I think there are definitely differences, but it's hard to pinpoint what they are. But it's just a different experience playing over in the US. I think, like from one stage, though, you can kind of feel the energy in the room, and Americans definitely bring the energy and get fully into it. Even talking to fans after the show, and them saying that they have been waiting forever for us to come over and have shows in the US, and who have been listening to us for a while and seen us grow as a band from the start. NZ shows are cool because we’ve had a bit more time to build up the fan base, so at shows, the audience knows more of our songs and sings along, which is surreal to experience. It's kind of hard when you think about it, because you're like, we're going to America, that's so far away, we're so secluded in New Zealand. But then you think about it, like if there was a small band from America playing in Auckland that you loved, you’re gonna go see them. You can connect with all these places in the world, even being from a small country like New Zealand.

Will these new experiences from touring be coming out when writing upcoming music, or will you be referencing things you’ve already experienced?
We've been working on a pretty big project for a while now and have been working on a bunch of songs and recording them, and are coming to the tail end of that, which is awesome. We will continue to write, but I think mainly this experience has inspired us to tour more and play more shows outside of New Zealand because there are fans out there who want to see us. I guess you could say we’ve caught the travel bug.

In the craziness that is touring and how fast you guys have been growing, have you all had a second to stop and reflect on the fact that you are living out the dream you’ve always had for yourself, to be a professional musician?
Leading up to the US tour, we were in studio mode, and we were very much like in our own little studio bubble. Then the tour just crept up on us. We had a week off after the tour to recover, and I think that’s when we had the chance to actually take a step back and reflect on the trip and just go, wow, that was insane, it's something that we had always dreamt of growing up as a band. As four boys from New Zealand, it doesn’t feel like something that’s achievable, to go on tour internationally and get to play our music around the world. You dream of being a musician as a kid and being able to do that for your job, and I think during that trip, it kind of hit us, wow, this is possible. We just have such a level of gratitude and appreciation for the fact that we're able to do this.

After such an amazing start of the year, what do the rest of 2025 look like for you guys?
Lots and lots of travel, lots of touring - I think the next month we're leaving again. Then, releasing new music - we've got a bunch of stuff that's done, some that's still got a way to go.  It's kind of all up for grabs at the moment, just lots of ideas of things to do and places go. We're not really too sure, but there's a lot of stuff. It'll be very high with like a creative outlet. We’re all really excited for this year, it’s going to be a good one!

If you could say something to your younger selves, what would you tell them?
Ben: I’d tell my younger self that music took you to Disneyland, you may have had strep, but you had a good time. 
Matt: I'd say don't stay in school and waste your time, just play more guitar, this is what you're going to get to do. 
Jackson: Just soak it all in, which I'm still telling myself now, because we're still very much on that journey, but thinking back when me and Matt were kids and we were seven and we were playing in a band, thinking this is gonna be something one day, so just like, try and soak it all in.
Max: Don't let people tell you it's impossible, it's not. It is a real job. 

Check out Borderline's newest single, New Romance and keep up to date with all their adventures HERE!