On the Guestlist: BORDERLINE
New Zealand’s pop/rock band, Borderline — Ben Glanfield, Jackson Boswell, Matthew McFadden, and Max Harries — brought their dynamic energy to BIGSOUND 2025 in Brisbane and quickly proved to be one of our most anticipated acts this year! With great chemistry and even greater energy, we couldn’t have been more thrilled to catch them live!
The lads shared two BIGSOUND showcases this year, first at Blute’s on Wednesday 3 September, and then at The Prince Consort Hotel the following day. Naturally, we had to be there on their final showcase, and it was the perfect way to wrap up their run here.
Their set that night opened with ‘Heartbeat’ — the track we first stumbled upon on TikTok—and the crowd was filled with fans who sang along throughout their set. The support from fellow BIGSOUND artists who came to cheer Borderline on their final gig of the festival made the night even more special. One of the standout moments of the night was when they taught the audience how to sing their hit ‘Jealous’ — and we have to say their live rendition sounded so incredible. At one point, Max jumped into the audience to play bass in the crowd and absolutely shredded it.
Borderline closed out their BIGSOUND run with the same fire and authenticity that has quickly set them apart as ones to watch. With their infectious stage presence, genuine connection with the crowd, and undeniable talent, the band left Brisbane buzzing and it’s clear their momentum is only just beginning.
With all that energy still buzzing, we caught up with Borderline ahead of their set to talk new music, BIGSOUND madness, and what’s on the horizon. Read on for the full scoop.
Borderline in Brisbane | 4 September 2025 | Credit: Sakina Indrasumunar (@kindravision)
For someone who’s never listened to you, how would you describe yourself and what song would be a great introduction to who you are
We’re a pop/rock band from New Zealand, but our music dives into a bunch of different genres and vibes, there’s funky stuff, piano ballads, acoustic guitar songs and much more. I don’t think there’s just one song that would be a great introduction, it all depends on your taste and what music you like - however, When It’s Raining seems to be our most popular song so let’s go with that.
Borderline has been described as blending genres—indie rock, pop, funk, nostalgic synths. Was this fusion intentional, or did it just emerge naturally from your writing?
I think it came pretty naturally. We all have really different music tastes so when we’re in the studio all our individual influences come out and create this mish mash of genres and vibes that becomes our music. It’s super cool exploring all those worlds and seeing what crazy stuff we can create.
“Chrysalis” as a title suggests growth and transformation. How do you feel your sound has evolved during this stage of your career?
This EP is a reflection of our growth over the last two years, both personally and musically. We’ve been exploring new sounds and writing in genres and worlds that we hadn’t before, which has been really really fun. I think as we grow, so will our music and each project kind of acts as a time capsule from that point in our life.
Having just signed with EMPIRE—becoming their first-ever New Zealand artist—that’s a huge step. How has that partnership impacted your creative process or ambitions with these recent releases?
It’s been so incredible, we’re so lucky and grateful to be signed with them, they’re the best team we could ask for. EMPIRE has been amazing at allowing us to explore sounds and new territories which has been super freeing. Having the label backing is so awesome, it’s allowed us to do so much more and take our music around the world, so that would continue being our ambition I think - just continuing to release more music we love, and travelling the world playing it for people and making new friends.
Your new EP Chrysalis feels like a defining moment—how does this collection reflect where you are now as a band compared to Perfect Movie Scene? And over the course of releasing and promoting these tracks, have you noticed your audiences responding differently—maybe even in ways that surprised you?
I think with this project we’ve found ourselves a little more, and have grown into our sound and aesthetic a bit better. I think people have noticed that, and with that growth, we’ve been able to relate to a lot more people which has been so special. It’s incredible seeing how many people come up after the shows and tell us how much the music means to us, it’s the most special thing and we don’t take it for granted in the slightest.
When preparing for a live show at BIGSOUND, how do you choose which tracks to include? Is there a particular song that you must perform?
At Big Sound you really wanna make an impact, so we’ve picked our fav tracks that are full of energy and super fun for us to play. ‘When It’s Raining’ is definitely always in the setlist, it's such a huge track and is the perfect way to finish the set, and of course it wouldn’t be a Borderline show without an obnoxious 1 minute guitar solo at the end of Breakdown.
If you had to pick one song on the album that means the most to you, which would it be and why?
I think we all gravitate toward “When it’s raining” it was absolutely magic to make and we love playing it live. It’s one of those songs that evokes a really powerful emotion/feeling that we’re so proud of.
What are a couple of songs you’ve been loving lately — or even some all-time favourites you keep coming back to?
A few we’ve been jamming a bunch are: “Back On You” - Djo, “It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over” - Lenny Kravitz, and “I Wanna Be Your Lover” - Prince.
We’ve turned their picks into a special Side Stage Selects playlist so you can spin their favourites too — check it out here.
As you look ahead beyond Chrysalis, are there fresh directions, collaborations, or creative risks you’re excited to explore next?
We’re always busy doing something, always writing, recording and planning for tours so we can promise there’s lots on the way. We’ve been particularly busy this year in the studio writing and recording a bunch of new music which we are so excited to eventually share with everyone.
And just for fun (don’t have to answer if you don’t want to haha): Would you rather have headphones that lick your ear when the battery is low, or ones that moan every time you adjust the volume?
The band general consensus is headphones that lick your ear, as we could try our very best to keep them fully charged at all times. I believe Matt’s ear will be the subject of gargantuan lickage, being the forgetful one.
