With the release of You’re Not As ____ As You Think, the band garnered universal acclaim for their unique blend of intense delivery, rousing hooks and brutally honest lyricism. The truth is that the band has been bubbling under for the past four years, and You’re Not As… is actually their third LP overall.
Still, the band is now at a larger scale of exposure than ever before – and it’s both a surprising and gratifying experience for its members. “I’ve been doing this for so long, so I’ve seen a lot of my friends really step it up and get the major recognition they deserve,” says Cameron Boucher, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist.
“Pinegrove, Julien Baker, Modern Baseball, Foxing – they’ve all been fucking shit up. I genuinely care about them, and love what they do. It’s incredibly cool to be able to do this ourselves now after so many years. Above everything else, that’s what excites me the most.”
You’re Not As… was released back in March, with the bulk of its lyrical content dealing directly with loss, grief and the pain that comes with the human condition. It’s not an easy listen despite its hooks, so it’s perfectly understandable that making the record was pure catharsis and emotionally exhausting for its members.
For Boucher, who wrote the lyrics, the reality of playing the record live didn’t land properly and resonate with him until the very first night of their tour. “Every time we perform is different for me,” he says.
“None of this record is made up – it’s all very real and directly from my life. I’m pretty invested in all of it. I’d be thinking about it regardless of whether we were playing a show or not. When we play, it could go either way. I could play the songs about these things and then feel better for having done it. Other nights, there will be songs that we just can’t play because I’m not in the right headspace.
“I try and balance out my emotional availability for the sake of the show, and that can be hard when some of the songs are really heavy. That’s the thing – you never think about playing a song live when you’re writing it. Taking songs like this on the road takes a lot of mental prep. I don’t want to get too deep in the hole, or go through the motions.”
2017 will see Sorority Noise performing in several places they’ve never been to before – including Australia for a whirlwind four-day run at the end of September and into October. The shows have also been eye-opening insofar as the band’s public perception is concerned. While on tour, Boucher has encountered a lot of fans that have had a direct emotional response to the album. “I never think of my band as being important to anyone,” says Boucher.
“I’m used to DIY shows. I’m used to playing to a handful of people. This was never a goal. I never thought having this many people listen to us was a possibility. To have people come up to me and tell me what my music means to them is something that I couldn’t possibly have comprehended before.
“It’s times like that when I really have to step outside of myself and see it from someone else’s perspective. Like, if Regina Spektor was standing in front of me, I would probably be doing the exact same thing.”
