Boundaries

About Boundaries

Boundaries started in Hartford, Connecticut, around 2015, which makes sense given the city's long history of producing bands that channel aggression into something precise. The metalcore scene was crowded at the time, but they carved out space by leaning harder into the hardcore side of things while keeping the metallic crunch that made breakdowns feel like getting hit by something heavy.

The early lineup centered around vocalist Matt McDougal, whose vocal style split the difference between traditional hardcore bark and the more guttural approach metalcore demanded. Their first EP dropped in 2015, mostly making waves in regional scenes and online communities that care deeply about which subgenre label applies to which band. They were tight from the start, which suggested everyone involved had done this before in other projects, even if those projects never left Connecticut.

Their debut full-length "My Body in Bloom" arrived in 2017 through Unbeaten Records. The record established their blueprint: short songs, minimal fat, breakdowns that felt earned rather than obligatory. Tracks like "Prey" and "Hands" showed they understood dynamics mattered even when your primary goal is heaviness. The production was clean enough to hear everything but rough enough to avoid sounding overcooked.

2018 brought "Your Receding Warmth," which expanded their reach considerably. Sharptone Records picked them up, giving them better distribution and the kind of promotional push that actually moves units in a niche market. Songs like "Easily Erased" became setlist staples, the kind of track where everyone in the room knows exactly when to lose it. The album dealt with mental health and personal deterioration without making it feel like homework, which is harder than it sounds when half the genre is doing the same thing.

They kept the momentum going with singles and tour cycles, building the kind of dedicated following that shows up whether you're headlining or fourth on a five-band bill. McDougal left in 2021, replaced by Andrew Clarke, which could have derailed things but didn't. Clarke brought a slightly different energy, less frantic but no less intense.

"Burying Brightness" landed in 2022, their first record with Clarke. It's probably their most focused work, refining what worked about the earlier material while pulling back on some of the more derivative elements. The title track and "Realize and Rebuild" suggested a band comfortable enough to slow down occasionally, trusting their songwriting rather than just pummeling through.

They're currently active on the touring circuit, doing the festival rounds and package tours that keep bands like this afloat. No massive breakthrough into larger consciousness, but that was never really the point. They know their lane, they're good at what they do, and they've built something sustainable in a scene that chews up and spits out most bands within two albums.

Tight, wound-up sets where the band locks into these dense grooves and rarely lets up. Crowds tend quiet and focused rather than rowdy—people are trying to follow what's happening. The kind of show where someone's definitely taking notes on guitar riffs.

Known for Some Strange Loop, Negative Space, Floating Point, Distraction Value, Scattered Scenes

See Boundaries Live