“I think all songs should be personal,” says Sorority Noise frontman Cameron Boucher in the bunk bed room of tonight’s venue, The Deaf Institute in Manchester. “They all came from a certain time and place that were important to me. “I think I used to be afraid of saying anything and I wrote songs that were really verbose. Then I had a friend called Will James, who is a spoken word poet, he always notably hated my bands,” Boucher explains, now in the more spacious kitchen with fellow band members beside him.
“I asked him [James] straight, “why don’t you like my bands?” and he replied saying that “you [we] don’t say anything. It should be moving and powerful and an exact representation of how you feel.” That really surprised me and that’s exactly what makes the most sense,” Boucher described his sudden epiphany that now is the basis of his song writing.
During the interview Boucher exuded a strong enthusiasm, humbleness and love what he is doing. An infectious and polite character to talk to yet on stage he transformed into an outlet of pure energy and emotion. Storming through the gripping choruses of their 2014 album, ‘Forgettable’, the group was joined a vocal crowd shouting back the angry, hard-hitting and anthemic choruses.
All tracks “came from a certain time and place that were important to me,” continues Boucher. “The songs came one by one. I refused drop a song once I had it.” This haste to just go with the first idea with very little editing resulted in the most honest outcome and raw sound Boucher could create.
An album where each song is an “episode” in the life and workings of the enigmatic frontman. “Each song came as an acoustic skeleton to the recording studio so it was just a case of putting a band around it,” he adds.
With choruses delving into the inner mind of Boucher, the unparalleled honesty within his lyrics cannot be matched in music. The chorus ‘Blonde Hair Black Lungs’ discusses speeding in a car in a heartbroken rage (I drove home at 100mph just to feel what it felt like to fly, I crashed my car into someone else’s backyard just to see what it felt like to die.)
‘Dirty Ickes’ delves into getting over heartbreak and admitting to occasional tragedy spirals. With other notable tracks, ‘Mediocre At Best’ and ‘Rory Shield’, the album is a soundtrack for those struggling with relationships, life’s changes and tough decisions. No clichéd, whiny or novelty lines; it is just pure, raw and under-brindled aggression, emotion and confusion of the human mind.
“Music itself is quite selfish. I write songs to write songs but I also consider if people actually want to hear it. I don’t think about it all that often though,” Boucher humbly admits. His towering frame with long hair, unkempt beard yet fluorescent orange hat made light work of the low-down sofa.
Boucher adds that “music is an outlet that me and my friends use to deal with what is going on in our heads. Music is a really positive thing and I constantly think about it.”
Humbly advising others that “There are other forms of expressions that help. Any hobbies, art, sports, walking and anything can help the struggle with your mental state.”
Yet he did remain open-minded as to what some people consider music for. “Some people just like to enjoy it and not have to constantly analyse it. “ As always with emo, it is music that can help you when you’re at your happiest and make you enjoy life, but at low points it helps listeners get through their own personal strifes.
But even Boucher holds stuff back for himself. “I sometimes take some songs back as they’re so personal. They don’t belong on an album or a show, saving them just for me I try to be as raw as possible.”
Aside from, Sorority Noise, Boucher’s other major project is screamo outfit, Old Gray, and he also produces and runs a recording studio with some of his friends in Modern Baseball. “I can do everything in a day,” he reveals.
Remaining level headed in production can be paramount to success but, Boucher, also knows what suits each project best. “It’s good to be able to turn your brain off and on.”
Each is an outlet of his inner monologue. “With Sorority Noise I’ve been trying to make them quite open about things and tell people it’s ok to feel a certain way. But there are still stuff going on with myself that come out when I start writing especially with Old Gray. It’s always been interesting to think about it but it all just makes sense.”
Further aside from music, Boucher, also recently graduated college with a degree in music production and jazz saxophone. It was in college that he truly found his passion for music and the key reason behind it. Admitting to being a pretty poor student beforehand and just leaving everything until last minute, Boucher used music as a reward to praise his hard work.
“Initially I thought it wouldn’t be smart to play music and learn at the same time. Freshman year was tough as I didn’t go out and play as much and I forced myself to study. Then I just thought “fuck it” and I want to play shows again I found little pockets that I could put my school in. That really helped my grades and my focus” he reminisces, adding further points that extend his genuine character.
Further aside, Boucher gleefully recounts the first time he heard Modern Baseball’s record of the year contender, ‘Holy Ghost’, on some “mediocre speaker system as others were talking over it” in a van.
“Not even as a friend but as a music lover, this is incredible. This is really really good,” was his reaction. Then revealing that frontman, Jake Ewald, just brushed off the compliment and thanked him like it was no biggie.
“They [Modern Baseball] are a massive part of my life. Me, Jake and Ian have a studio together in Philadelphia and we live with Overholt their tour manager. I wish he tour managed the house. They are the best people.”
The interview then dived into a big love-in for Modern Baseball to cement my final realisation and point. From the brief time spent with Boucher, it becomes clear that here is a man who truly lives music. Music is his livelihood, music helps him through tough times, and it is with his music that he hopes to change the world help others in need.
“Music can be so uncomfortable in a positive way and make people think,” he concludes.
Keep up with Sorority Noise over at their Facebook page.