NEW ZEALAND’S BORDERLINE UNVEIL ANTHEMIC NEW SINGLE WATCHING IT BURN VIA EMPIRE
LISTEN HERE
Photo by Tom Grut
Rising New Zealand band Borderline unveil their new single Watching It Burn. The track sees the genre-blurring quartet go back to their rock roots with a wall of sound and proves why this young band, barely out of their teens, is already carving out a reputation well beyond their years.
Watching It Burn is one of our favourite songs,” explains Borderline. “It’s so much fun to play live as a band, especially with the saxophone solo at the end, which Max absolutely crushes. This is the Borderline track we want people to turn up loud and sing while driving with the roof down. It’s about watching something that you’ve worked so hard to build just burn to nothing. Whether it’s someone or something, it’s an area so many people can relate to in their own way.”
Listen/share Watching It Burn here and watch the video, directed by Tom Grut, here:
2025 saw Borderline make their debut at The Great Escape festival in Brighton. The UK is like a home away from home for the band, where they have families spanning across London, Hertfordshire, Plymouth and Wales. Building on that foundation, Borderline closed out the year with Terrify and a New Zealand arena tour supporting Teddy Swims, continuing a global trajectory that is only just getting started. They kicked off 2026 with the single Tainted and it was named ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Introducing.
Hailing from Auckland, Borderline is Ben Glanfield (guitar, vocals, keys), Jackson Boswell (drums, vocals), Matthew McFadden (lead guitar), and Max Harries (bass). The four musicians and songwriters have been best mates since childhood, releasing their debut single, Spinning, in 2022 as fresh-faced 16-year-olds still in high school. That momentum accelerated sharply last year as they toured around the world and signed to EMPIRE, who released their Chrysalis EP, a body of work that moves fluidly between funk-infused grooves, pop hooks, and hands-in-the-air rock anthems.
Follow Borderline here:
