Terry Borden of Blesson Roy
BLESSON ROY | THINK LIKE SPRING LP | OUT NOW | “ANA LEFT SPAIN +2” EP | SEPT. 24TH, 2021 | SLOW START RECORDS
BIO (2021):
Think Like Spring is the debut album from life-long “music lover and music doer,” Terry Borden, the man behind Blesson Roy, and follows-up Borden’s twin 2020 EPs “Time Is A Crime” and “Time Is A Crime (Almost Acoustic)”.
On Sept. 24th, 2021, Borden will release a new three-song Blesson Roy EP “Ana Left Spain +2,” which offers up a 2021 remix/remaster of the popular Think Like Spring album cut, accompanied by two all-new songs, “Bed of Roses” and “No Other”.
Think Like Spring is the 14-song dreamy pop reflection of a child of 1970’s California whose early love of AM radio and his brother’s record collection led to membership in slowcore pioneers Idaho and Pete Yorn’s band Dirty Bird. Living in the UK during the explosion of subculture labels 4AD, Creation, Factory, and Rough Trade has also heavily influenced the Blesson Roy sound.
Think Like Spring was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I was alone in the studio adjacent to my home and had no distractions other than the feeling of being truly alone in the recording space, for days and weeks on end,” Borden explains. “The positive effect of the pandemic isolation in the studio was the time and ability to focus on the musical details in the songs, and extend the searches for the right chemical reactions that manifested in each track.”
“Think Like Spring is a suggestion for a train of thought, which is focused on positivity and renewal,” Borden continues, discussing the album’s overall concept. “This is an especially important time for all of us to embrace the new positive and negative paradigm shifts with a sense of creativity and invention.”
About the album’s upcoming singles, Borden says, “‘Undertow’ took on a darker and lusher soundscape than I had originally imagined, having written that one as a Leonard Cohen or Nick Drake-influenced acoustic guitar song. As the recording unfolded, however, I realized that ‘Undertow’ needed a dark ambient soundscape rather than a stripped-down acoustic production.”
Borden explains that “Stays With You” was “a journey into dynamics with the chorus exploding out of the verses. It was a lot of fun and very satisfying to create the verse and chorus as almost two different bits of music that tied together emotionally but remained separate dynamically.”
“I ventured into some new areas musically,” he says of ‘Thousand,’ which “became more of an emotional, anthemic recording; a bit of a departure. It was thrilling to construct ‘Thousand’ and draw on unbridled emotion for that one.”
“I am pleased that a song with the characteristics of ‘Undertow’ sits next to an indie rocker like ‘Should’ve Known Better,’ Borden says of the album’s final planned single. “I have always loved records that have different types of songs with a fearless approach to production that serves the song not the style of music. The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ is the pinnacle of this type of approach.”
Ultimately, Borden says that he tried to give each song a separate identity with a unique personality.
“I can’t say if I succeeded in this, but it was the way I recorded and structured the sound of each track. Writing and recording Think Like Spring was pure joy with patches of frustration that happen in any creative process. The songs and the creation of the recordings felt like a warm place in a cold and dangerous world.”
Bio (2019/20) :
Life-long “music lover and music doer,” Terry Borden is a child of 1970’s California whose early love of AM radio and his brother’s record collection has led him to numerous career highlights that are still accumulating.
These include:
Kind words from Lou Reed, two appearances on David Letterman, guitar hangs with Radiohead, and 250-plus tour dates a year throughout the early 2000s as a member of slowcore pioneers Idaho and singer-songwriter Pete Yorn’s backing band Dirty Bird.
Coming of age in Los Angeles during the early 1990’s rise of punk and new wave, Borden’s long and varied career as a studio and touring musician will culminate with the release of his own dreamy pop project in 2020. Blesson Roy’s five-song “Time Is A Crime” EP arrives on May 8th.
Owing to Borden’s stint living and working in the UK where he was influenced by the burgeoning sounds of sub-cultural labels such as 4AD, Creation, Factory and Rough Trade, the music of Blesson Roy will undoubtedly please fans of all these sounds.
Borden brings real roots song craft to his work, as well, showing that his recent years away from the music industry, but not away from songwriting, have only served to develop his abilities and technique, as Borden masterfully performs all of the instruments on the new tracks himself.
“I was seven or eight-years-old and had already started following the AM radio stations in Los Angeles and listening to my brother’s records on headphones at night,” Borden remembers of his childhood.
Borden’s father would take him and his siblings record shopping on the weekends, and Borden excitedly recalls the song he discovered in the colorful collection of 45s that influenced the ideology, optimism and spirituality that runs through his music to this day.
“There it was, connecting with my very soul, I didn’t know the song but the title said it all: ‘I Believe In Music’ by Mac Davis. The lyrics were an affirmation of my deepest feelings. The song was a standard AM pop radio track but confirmed to me a world-wide holistic, spiritual, and religious movement of music lovers that I wanted to be a part of forever,” he says.
Later, a chance encounter at 12-years-old with a television airing of The Beatles film “A Hard Day’s Night” cemented Borden’s future.
“It was a Sunday afternoon and the die was cast,” Borden says. “Like so many other kids that came into total sensory contact with The Beatles, I would commit my present and future to being a musician, whatever that meant and wherever that led.”
From that point on, Borden says he was “always in a band or forming one.”
“I was already playing drums, being paraded up to the stage at wedding receptions to perform, but now I knew I wanted to play the melody instruments. I formed a band with the kid who lived next door and the girl up the street who was taking guitar lessons and could strum ‘Hey Jude.’”
Borden’s love of The Beatles led him to a fascination with Neil Young, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie, but it was the highly influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ that brought new wave and punk into his life.
“I embraced it all completely. Wasted Youth, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys and also the more melodic and psychedelic sounds of the British post punk groups like Echo & The Bunnymen and Joy Division. Also, the American roots to that movement, Television and The Velvet Underground. The band that had the greatest impact from that period for me was The Smiths.”
Borden has stories of personal encounters with Morrissey and an especially memorable one with the late Lou Reed, too.
“I was in NYC touring with Idaho, and met Lou in a sushi bar in Greenwich Village. He was gracious, kind, engaged me in conversation, and then came by our table on his way out to wish us a good show that night. It’s a touring memory of the best kind!”
Like many who hold deep affections for these artists, Borden considers their music as an anchor to his soul.
“I was also reading the books that they read,” he says of his hero’s literary influences, noting JD Salinger, Henry Miller, Arthur Rimbaud, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and the poets William Wordsworth, Edgar Allan Poe, William Blake, Charles Bukowski, Voltaire, and Allen Ginsberg among them.
Borden continues, “Music, movies and books were the tools I used to cope with the complexities of modern life, and the teenage reckoning with childhood traumas.”
Borden was soon traveling to Hollywood to see his favorite artists live, catching the earliest US tours by The Sugarcubes, Jane’s Addiction, and New Order. He was also continuing to play in his own bands throughout this time, hitting the stages of iconic venues and also indulging in the emerging underground art and club scene.
“There are many memories of that time which bring a smile and frighten me simultaneously,” Borden remembers. “Music was at the heart of everything we did.”
Speaking of hearts, it was around this time that Borden fell in love and had a son, and while he remains friends with his ex, he is candid and self-aware in a way that many never achieve.
“I can see that dedicating one’s life to music at an early age does not make you the best family material,” Borden reflects. “That being said, we have no regrets, and find joy and humor in in those years, and some real tears as well.”
London was calling, and interest from Virgin Records in 100 Days, Borden’s band at the time, drew him overseas where Borden remained for two years, sleeping on floors, performing at world renowned venues, and hanging out with Suede, Blur, The Verve and Radiohead.
“We also saw incredible shows,” he remembers. “Pavement, Ride, PJ Harvey, and on and on. It was a great time to be in the UK. We were young and full of adventure. We had singular experiences and made incredible friendships that continue to this day.”
Virgin’s buyout by EMI left 100 Days in the dead zone, and without recording a record, but having had the time of their lives, Borden and his band returned to Los Angeles.
“I look back on my time in the UK as a great and truly free existence with a perfect blend of music, fun, adulation and disappointment that could only be as dynamic and colorful as the dreams that fueled them,” Borden says.
The band continued, but soon drifted apart, precipitating the next major chapter in Borden’s career.
“It was around this time I heard the first Idaho record,” he remembers. I loved the sound and thought it was the best indie thing happening in Los Angeles at that time.”
Ever the proper networker, Borden soon met the band’s co-founder Jeff Martin and the two became friends. Borden secretly wanted to audition for Idaho and become a part of the band’s sonic evolution.
“I was always conscious of developing an original style on the bass, rather than being a well-trained musician,” he says. “I was really obsessed with bass players like Andy Rourke of The Smiths, Peter Hook of New Order, and of course, Paul McCartney.”
Borden passed the audition, and created a unique bass-playing style that was melodic, rhythmic and also utilized guitar chords on bass that would harmonize with what was going on with the guitar on a song.
“The musical chemistry in that particular line-up of Idaho was magical,” Borden exclaims. “The live performances were passionate meditations, and full of emotional surges and refrains. We still talk about getting together and tapping into our collective source again.”
After Borden’s run with Idaho came to an end, he signed with Dave Allen of Gang of Four’s World Domination label as Flotilla, releasing one critically praised album, and while the label eventually folded, the record found some important ears, including those of Yorn.
When Yorn was looking for a touring guitarist, Borden got the gig, eventually switched to his beloved bass and spent another four years out on the road.
Then, during a break in touring, Borden decided to make the down time indefinite.
“After a decade-long ride, I took a long time off and away from music and the music business,” he says. “I needed to take a hard look at my life, to clean up some existential messes, and change some unhealthy habits.”
Now, revitalized and energized, Borden is continuing to create, write and record music for himself again.
“I would now like to share these recordings with open hearts, minds and ears,” he says. “I would like to find an audience of any size that will find in this music, the same connections and nourishment that I get from it. I call it Blesson Roy.”
Blesson Roy’s five-song “Time Is A Crime” EP arrives on May 8th via Slow Start Records preceded by the single “In Tune With The Moon” on April 10th.
NEWS:
PRESS QUOTES:
“A child of the 1970s, whose love of AM pop radio has served him well... may be setting the pace for a new sound in a new decade.”
“Articulate songwriting set inside deliciously catchy hooks.”
“Calling back to the bright tones and sweet melodies of Britpop... Borden takes listeners on another trip back through his record collection, showing his ability to incorporate and synthesize styles as both a creator and a fan.”
“‘Think Like Spring’ finds Roy in his zone... an album focused on positivity and renewal.”
“Dreamy and earthy... always with heartfelt emotion.”
“Borden’s California connection is apparent in the sunny, Beach Boys-esque poppy vocals. An entirely new musical sound.”
“Will expand your mind.”
“‘Think Like Spring’ is emotional, thoughtful and vulnerable and it soars mightily away with the kind of muscle and grace that brings to mind everything from the Cocteau Twins to Ride. In just under two minutes, Blesson Roy have managed to write one of the catchiest numbers of the year. ”
“Hypnotic... blends strings, electronics and a classic pop sound into something both psychedelic and highly accessible.”
“Intricately-arranged pop.”
“Blesson Roy encapsulates a natural course of emotion that allows the listener to feel a deep connection to Borden’s wistful vocals.”
“Beautifully realized... He creates spry jangling wonders of power pop theatricality, mixing the beach-y vibes of the Beach Boys with Big Star’s vibrant melodies.”
“If the Beach Boys did a new wave album.”
PRESS RELEASES:
SOCIALS:
LISTEN:
Bandcamp: blessonroy.bandcamp.com
Spotify: spoti.fi/3ivwFLB
Apple: apple.co/3sI3sC1
Assets:
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Think Like Spring album cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Ana Left Spain +2” cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Undertow” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Stays With You” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Thousand” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Should’ve Known Better” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
“Time Is A Crime” (Almost Acoustic) EP cover art. Art direction and design by Gerard Saint at Big Active (bigactive.com) feat. handcut collages by Mark Watkins (studiosixtyfour.co.uk). Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak. Click for hi-res.
“Time Is A Crime” EP cover art. Art direction and design by Gerard Saint at Big Active (bigactive.com) feat. handcut collages by Mark Watkins (studiosixtyfour.co.uk). Click for hi-res.
“In Tune With The Moon” single cover art. Art direction and design by Gerard Saint at Big Active (bigactive.com) feat. handcut collages by Mark Watkins (studiosixtyfour.co.uk). Click for hi-res.
“Lost & Found” single cover art. Art direction and design by Gerard Saint at Big Active (bigactive.com) feat. handcut collages by Mark Watkins (studiosixtyfour.co.uk). Click for hi-res.