Review: Boundaries, My Body in Bloom

Boundaries - My Body in Bloom
Rating: 9.3/10
MerchNow

Boundaries is one of the few local bands I can absolutely never get enough of. With the shrill and eerie panic chords introduced on last spring’s demo, “Nightmare Machine” is so menacing it might literally cause nightmares. When I heard that the band had a new EP due out on Unbeaten Records this year, I was ecstatic to see what the band had in store. Rest assured, My Body in Bloom comes out swinging. It’s Boundaries season, and I’m strapping myself in for the ride.

“Kill Me Patiently” will make you fall in love with their take on late 90’s metalcore interspersed with the same crunchy, spastic breakdowns their fanbase loves. The song is jam-packed with dissonant, Converge-styled riffs that take a turn into one of the gnarliest mosh riffs you could ever hope to hear. “Kill Me Patiently” doesn’t pack just one (1) chance to beat your friends ass in the pit, but three (3)--a killer steal, especially with how popular mosh riffs are nowadays. This intro was super unexpected and a really good foot to start on for My Body In Bloom.

“Blush” is an odd track to me. It features some of McDougal’s best one-liners and some of drummer Kevin Steven’s best blasts right before the breakdown, but also some of the tamest and safest riffs on the bands part. It’s a slapper, but I feel as if this is something we’ve already heard from Boundaries, lacking the experimentalism of the rest of the EP. Then there’s “Hesitation Wounds.” Brendan Murphy--B R E N D A N M U R P H Y--is on “Hesitation Wounds,” and it packs the kinds of crowd-pleasing one-liners you’d expect from a collaboration like this: “where does love go when it leaves?” “What if I never get better?” This track shows off guitarists Zadak Brooks and Cory Emond’s punchiest riffs, backed by killer bassline support from Brandon Breedlove. All around, “Hesitation Wounds” is a remarkable track with a standout guest feature.

“My Body in Bloom” is a bombshell. It perfectly transitions from insanely violent riffs to depressing melody, easily one of the biggest surprises for me out of all of the tracks on the album. “Pain Medicine” focuses on bassist Brandon Breedlove (Ex- Limitless), who supplies a clean chorus section that meshes so naturally with the song, you’d never believe this was the first time they’d used cleans. I need more of this in the future. “Crxss My Heart” comes through with mathcore-styled dissonant riffs paired with crushing drumwork, but it’s a warzone the second a distorted audio clip of Elvis’s “Cross My Heart” starts playing. Just when you think it’s going to stop, the band whips out a reality-breaking outro, your final chance to knock yourself out.

Having followed these guys since Defector and getting to know them on a personal level, watching Boundaries’ ambition and excitement over this record has been a joy. They set out to craft the best record they could, and I think they’ve succeeded. I’m blown away. My Body in Bloom will see Boundaries take over the world.

- DG

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