2017 has already been a huge year for Sorority Noise. With the success of their brand new album You’re Not As _____ As You Think, the Connecticut four piece have supported the likes of Modern Baseball, Bayside and The Menzingers. They still continue to grow in popularity and have recently announced a run of intimate East Coast shows to accommodate their spot on the Yours and Owls Festival lineup in October.

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“It’s nice to have someone else there to tell you when you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, and being like, “That sucks” or “That’s not that good”, and you’re like, “Okay cool. Thanks for being real”

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I was fortunate enough to catch up with frontman and central songwriter Cameron Boucher to ask him some questions about Australia, songwriting and what it was really like to work with producer and veteran Mike Sapone.

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So, first off, congratulations on the success of You’re Not As _____ As You Think. It’s a fantastic album, easily one of my favourites this year.

Damn, thank you so much! That means a lot!

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For the new album, you guys worked with Mike Sapone, who has worked with the likes of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday. How did the idea of working with him come about?

I think he kinda brought it up. He was like, “Yo, I’d love to help with the record” and I was hesitant at first because I had always done all of our own stuff. Like, I had always produced my own bands. But, I thought “well, there’s no one I’d rather learn from more so than, you know, the guy himself that I repeatedly ripped off my whole career”. Working with Mike, he ended up being just the best dude. Like, I had so much fun working with Mike, truely. I would do it again and again and again.

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Now, obviously Mike Sapone is a veteran within the Emo/Alternative Rock genre and has made such an impact with the albums he has produced, was there anything you learnt from him in the writing and recording process that really influenced the album as a whole?

I think he was just about “vibes”. And I think that’s one of the biggest things about music, is like, we see bands live and we compare it to or contrast it to how it sounds on the album. But I think what Mike [Sapone] opened my eyes to was, like, “Yo, sometimes it’s supposed to sound different recorded. Like sometimes, you’re supposed to take that extra step to make it sound really cool”. And then, live, you do something else that’s equally as cool… I don’t know, he really made me aware of digging deeper for sounds than I had previously done. Because I’m pretty much, like, plug it into the mic, and see if it sounds good, so it was nice to have that kind of help.

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Usually, you’ve been part of the production for previous Sorority Noise releases. How was it for you to take the backseat on production this time around?

It was really nice, actually. We ended up finding a pretty happy medium because I was not a happy camper in the beginning of [the recording process]. So, every day, we’d record and then, every night or in the morning the next day, I’d come in and pick the takes that we’d do for the record. So, I got to take a step back but not a complete step back, which was really awesome. It helped me a lot and I think that really symbiotic with the way me and Mike [Sapone] worked, I think it worked out together nicely. I’m really happy that we did try it because I was very hesitant but I’m very glad. It’s nice to have someone else there to tell you when you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, and being like, “That sucks” or “That’s not that good”, and you’re like, “Okay cool. Thanks for being real”.

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So, let’s talk about the main single and easily, my favourite song from the album “No Halo”. How did the idea to make this particular song the lead single come up?

They told me. [Laughs] I’m very focused on the record and then, what comes after is the label’s job. I mean, they help me out and made it an opportunity for me to get these ideas and make them become a reality. So, After I’m finished [making the record], I’m just like “The rest is up to you”. And I have a hard time because I feel like I write albums, not songs. So when it comes to picking the right songs, I don’t really want to have a hand in that. It makes me feel, almost like, I think of one song higher than the other. I don’t wanna do that, I feel like I don’t… it’s hard.

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The music video for “No Halo” is very emotionally driven and was executed brilliantly. Was that also the label’s idea or was there someone else that came with the process of coming up with the idea for the music video?

Kyle Thrash, who did the video, he’s been a good friend of mine forever. The label first came with the idea for the music video and I recommended Thrash and then, we put the whole thing in his hands really. He was the operating point on everything, like, he directed the video and I put all the trust and ideas with him. I’m super happy with how it turned out, you know, but again, the same thing. I don’t really put my hands in those directions because writing the songs is the fullest extent of my ability to express that idea or emotion. So when it comes to stuff like music video, I’m like “Oh no, someone knows how to do this way better than me”.

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On the topic of songwriting, no song would be a Sorority Noise song without your extremely confronting and brutally honest songwriting. Was there any musicians or songwriters that influenced your writing for this album?

There are people all the time. I listen to a lot. I like Julien Baker, she’s a great peer to have. She pushes me to be a better songwriter and a better person at the same time. I listen to a lot of Manchester Orchestra too. I feel like that’s one band that’s always been there and has made the most sense to me.

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Yeah, there’s definitely a Manchester Orchestra vibe on the new record, for sure.

That means a lot, I appreciate that.

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So, Sorority Noise will be embarking on their first Australian tour in September, which is huge for any artist. When did you realise that Sorority Noise would become a much bigger entity to what it was when you guys started it?

It’s still not? [Laughs] All four of us were raised with the idea that music is a hobby. You’ve got a job and you do something with your life that serves something to society. So you know, everyday we’re pretty much struck by the idea like, “Woah, that’s wild!”. I feel like we’re still on that page. I don’t even think the band is even that big or anything like that, I think that we’re just fortunate to play music all the time in different places. I think we’re just super grateful for the opportunity. But I don’t think we’ve ever considered and said “Woah, we’re rockstars”.

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Now, this is the band’s first time in Australia. Besides of playing shows, are there any activities you’re most excited to do while you’re here?

I have a friend from Brisbane, I played in her band in college. Ruby Nightingale – incredible human. And she’s gonna make me a big huge list of all the thing that we have to do. I’m stoked to just walk around. Like, I like to geek out and do my own thing and just see things my own way. I just wanna enjoy and see what I can find.

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During your tour, you guys are playing Yours and Owls Festival alongside AJJ and At The Drive In. Have you checked out any of the other acts on the lineup? And if so, who are you most keen to see?

Yeah, I checked out the lineup like a month or two ago and remember seeing a lot of bands that I wanted to see. I saw PUP play on the same festival last year and the lineup was awesome and I remember looking through some bands and finding some people I really enjoyed. I don’t remember anyone specific though, I do know I’m crazy keen for At The Drive-In. I missed them when they played in Philly and I will not miss them this time.

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Last but not least, I know there are people in Australia who have waiting for a Sorority Noise tour for quite a while. Will there be any surprises on this tour for those fans?

We never play the same thing, like we’ll just pull out a cover on stage and play them sometimes. I feel like that’s kinda cool, but maybe, we won’t do anything that special. We don’t really talk about what we plan on playing, we just play and I really like that and I guess I should because it’s my call. It’s always different, the thing that changes is that it’s never the same.

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Make sure to grab tickets to see Sorority Noise at their upcoming Australian shows!

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Friday 29 September – The Brightside, Brisbane
Saturday 30 September – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tuesday 3 October – The Reverence Hotel, Melbourne

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You’re Not As _____ As You Think Available NOW

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AMNPLIFY – DB