INTERVIEW: Crossing the Limits — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Crossing the Limits

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ONE cannot listen to a Crossing the Limits song…

without being impacted and moved. I have been speaking with the five-piece Pop-Punk band about their latest cut, Predictable, and how they all got together – I learn more about their current E.P., Perseverance, and whether more material is in their mind already.

The stunning band (their vocalist, Rachael, fields the questions) discuss tour dates and what advice they’d give to fellow songwriters emerging; if they all get much time to detach and chill away from music; which new artist we should get behind; the sort of artists who inspire Crossing the Limits – what ambitions are left to tick off for the awesome quintet.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey! Pretty good, thanks. We had a pretty busy week last week with heading to Leeds and our first headline show in Norwich.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Yeah! We are a five-piece Pop-Punk band. Our music is pretty bright, edgy and fun.

How did Crossing the Limits get together? When did the band start?

We started up in 2016 - but the line-up wasn’t really final until around early-2017. I was looking to start up a new band after my last one had called it a day. I started posting ads online and all around town in a desperate bid to find the right people. I was looking for people with ambition, drive (and that) shared the same dream.

Things were not easy: it took a while, but everyone in this band is in it for a solid reason..and I wouldn’t change a single one. They’re like my brothers.

Talk to me about the song, Predictable. What is the story behind it?

The song is really standing for being who you are without apology.

Like; how many times do we all start to question ourselves because we're not doing the same as everybody else?! We doubt ourselves so much for simply being different. I got really fed up with seeing my friends and people around me throwing away what they actually wanted to do because it wasn’t realistic, or people had told them it was too difficult.

I've felt like that, so many times, where I've been made to feel like what I wanted out of life was stupid because it doesn’t fit in with what everybody else is doing. I want people to listen to this song and brush off anyone that’s tried to put down their ambitions.

How much of what you are writing at the moment is based on your experiences over the past few years – lives in different bands and areas of the country?

All of it! I'll never write about something that I haven’t gone through. These songs are all stories that have happened over the last year. It’s really cool to listen back and go back to that place in time.

Your debut E.P., Perseverance, was out a few weeks back. What has the reaction been like so far?

Amazing! We are so pleased we’ve sent C.D.s out to people in America and Germany. It’s so cool to see that our music is reaching people in those places. Our fans seem to be enjoying it - and that’s what matters most to us.

Are you already looking ahead to new material? Are you always writing?

Absolutely! We've been writing a bunch of new songs. We like to give ourselves time and come up with the best possible songs we can before making any final choices on which ones go on the next record.

You gotta let life happen for the inspiration to come in.

What sort of music did you all grow up around?

I grew up with a lot of Pop music, then I discovered Pop-Punk and it really filled in that edge I'd never really got from just straight Pop music. The guys grew up with a ton of Pop-Punk and Rock music. Avril Lavigne was always a big go-to for me.

Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?

We’re looking into booking some shows for summer, so look out for those. We just need to be on the right line-up and hitting the right places.

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

Lots of shows and to grow our fan base is the goal for this year.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

I think collectively, as a band, we'd say opening for Against the Current in our hometown was a huge night for us. We gained so many new fans that night and had such a great time. I was always a big fan of the band We Are the In Crowd and, now Jordan Eckes has moved to playing for A.T.C. live, it was pretty damn cool to be playing alongside someone I've got a lot of respect for.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I'm really loving Halsey right now. I really like her vibe and I also really like how she stands for the L.G.B.T.Q. community which, as someone who is gay myself, I really respect that. She played a show in Russia and, even at risk of getting thrown in jail, still gave a shout-out to the people in the crowd holding up flags - saying she was proud of them for being brave. I thought that was bad-ass. Pvris would also be really cool to open for!

I don’t think we'd have anything too crazy: we keep talking about how we want a band dog so, probably, dogs and junk food.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Stay true to your art. There’s gonna be a lot of people with a lot of different opinions. You can’t get too involved in any of that because, then, you start writing to please a million different people. Believe in what you're doing wholeheartedly and protect it.

IN THIS PHOTO: Pessimist.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

A Pop-Punk band called Pessimist. They’re fairly local to us - and one of my favourite bands right now.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I actually do find it really hard sometimes to find a balance, because music is something I live for so, when I get a minute, I'm usually thinking what needs to get done next for the band. I feel kinda guilty if I'm not being productive. When I do tell myself to step away, I like to hang with friends and family or watch weird documentaries on YouTube.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Rach: All You Are Is History - State Champs