You can tell just by the band name that The Boondocks are happy in their own skin. Among other similar superlatives they lay claim to being ‘New Zealand’s loudest little band’, and it’s most certainly true that for a two-piece they make one hell of a likeable riff rock racket. Their latest bone-baring alt rock single Bombs dropped into NZ On Air Music‘s NewTracks February compilation. Meet The Boondocks.
 

What are your names, where are you from and what do you each play?

Scott Parker – playing bass guitar, pedalboard and vocals.
Branden Pritchard  – plays drums and backing vocals.

Where are The Boondocks headquartered?

Awhitu, a rural south Auckland community north of Pukekohe and Waiuku.

Any other projects that we might we know either of you from?

Branden has played drums for a rock band called Channeled for a few years. That was with our old music teacher from high school, Ben Ruegg. I, on the other hand, have only played in a couple high-school bands really. Nothing of notoriety in the local live scene.

What’s the background story of how The Boondocks came about?

We actually went to primary school together in Awhitu! I’m a couple years older than Branden, so we didn’t hang out too much at all, but I do remember we’d often talk on the bus about stuff like video games – nothing ever about music. I remember him being really cheery and  funny though, a personality trait he still holds up to this day.
When high school came around, we didn’t really talk at all. Probably just because he was younger, and we didn’t have music in common yet. I had been playing guitar since I was 10, so I was really focused on my music by the time he even left primary school. I had a high-school band that participated in Smokefree Rockquest, and that probably took up every part of my brain at the time. One year we entered as a two-piece while our bassist was in Japan, and we used a very crude set up of what The Boondocks use.
Branden started playing drums when he was about 14. I remember him playing drums at a school talent show, I think it was a cover of Holiday by Green Day. I also remember when he played at Smokefree Rockquest at the same heat as us.
After high school, in 2021, I joined a music project my mates Rory and Josh had started called Simp Vader, which was a shoegaze band. I was playing drums but we couldn’t get a bassist so instead I moved to bass, and we looked for a drummer. I recalled Branden putting up a post on Facebook asking if anyone wanted to start a covers band, so I reached out to him, and we snagged him as our drummer. None of us had really seen Branden since high school, so weren’t really sure what to expect with his playing. We were very impressed, he was incredibly good.
Simp Vader however decided to call it quits after only two gigs and a self-produced EP. One day in late 2022, bummed about the break up of Simp Vader, I hit Branden up and asked if he’d be interested in having a jam as a two-piece. He was super keen. So I put together my old pedalboard set up from my two-piece high school band, and we went to a local spot in the community known as The Woolshed (a literal retired woolshed that belonged to a local farmer with a passion for music who converted it into a community jamming spot). We mucked around with some old riffs I had, and it was a lot of fun. After a couple more jams we had written 4 or 5 songs, and decided that we’d do a gig.

When did you come up with The Boondocks as a handle?

When we decided to start gigging we thought we should probably have a name! Branden and I went through a variety of names, before he suggested The Boondocks. I didn’t know what that even meant, but he explained, ‘It means the middle of nowhere, like Awhitu.’ I really liked that idea. He really liked that idea. So it stuck. The Boondocks as a name represents a fundamental part of who we are, which is our rural upbringing and lifestyle on the Awhitu Peninsula. We wear it like a badge of honour, like true small town patriots.

How has your music evolved with The Boondocks?

While we haven’t really been around all that long (a bit over two years), I’d like to say that we understand songwriting and the crafting of a song a lot more. We owe most of that to Scott Seabright our producer. Before working with him we weren’t awfully educated in how songs turn out in a studio environment. I don’t think we knew about how repetitive stuff can get, or dynamics between parts, or making moments in songs, or anything like that beforehand. We are a bit more meticulous with it all now. Scott has been an unbelievably good producer and friend to us.

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

There have been some really awesome times we have had so far, so it is really quite difficult to pick just one. There was the release of our (self-titled) debut EP in February ’24, but I’d say the last six months have been pretty wicked. We’ve recently started getting opportunities to play alongside some of the biggest names in the NZ music scene, such as Devilskin, Head Like A Hole, The D4, Villainy, Kora and heaps more. I’d say that right now has been the best time of our band so far. In the mix of that we have filmed an awesome music video that we are really excited to release too. Things have been real crazy lately, and it’s been very exciting to be a Boonie.

What makes Bombs stand out for you as a single?

It was a quick, fun and easy song to do. We wrote it pretty quickly. I think we wrote it a week before the booked recording session we had with Scott. It was one of those songs that just leap out at you. Everything seemed obvious to us when we jammed it, and nothing really changed much structurally since then. I think it only took us a day to record too. It is our sixth song to get on the radio and chart, which is also pretty special. I also think we just really love up-the-guts riff rock, and this song perfectly encapsulates that.

What is the story behind Bombs?

I have always had an interest in war history, and always wanted to write a song with themes of war in it somehow. I also suffer from perpetual anxiety about WW3 kicking off and ending everything. One day I was going down a rabbit hole about nuclear bombs when I saw that  apparently the intense light a nuclear explosion gives off makes your skin appear transparent, and you can see your bones. I thought that was pretty neat and turned that idea into a lyric, and it all flowed from there.
The song is about the careless nature of people, willing to sacrifice anyone for their own benefit. While writing the song I was wondering about how people can be so blinded by their goals that they will hurt anyone just to achieve it.

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the single?

Lyrically I love the line, “Tell the skeletons you’re well and it was worth all their lives.” I think that one’s actually pretty clever for us. Musically the third verse is really cool and fun to play. The licks and drum section make it for us.

Who did you record/produce the single with?

Scott did all the mixing, mastering and production on this track. I remember when it got to the day of recording, we still thought the part I sang in the bridge wasn’t quite there. So while Scott mixed drums, we both went out and rewrote all the lyrics and melody of the bridge section, and it worked out really well.

What would you like listeners to take away from this song?

That The Boonies know how to riff real hard.

Is there anyone else is in your team?

The team is really just me, Branden and Scott for music content. We also work with Nathan Dodd and Rory Maddren for our photography and videography etc.

Are there any other musical endeavours you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for?

We have a whole album ready to fire out. So keep an eye out for it when it drops. We didn’t make a music video for this single, but something big… very big… is coming soon. (Genuinely something quite large in physical stature!)

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

Pink Plates – Big Man
Powder Chutes – Straights
Black Water Ruin – Volumes

Have you previously applied for NZOA funding? Was there any criterion you struggled with in the application?

Yeah, we have applied many times, and received some funding. We struggled with pretty much all of it at first, but it is my priority to have as many ticks on it as possible!

Can you offer any advice around seeking funding for others starting out? 

Just keep at it. Support your local bands and they will support you too. Be genuine, be nice, and that will take you a long way. It does take time, but the key to a band’s success I believe is longevity.

Are there any musical blogs, Youtube channels or podcasts you’re super into?

Only Scott Podcast! He interviews local bands, and it’s always fun to listen to!

How can we find you on social media?

facebook.com/p/The-Boondocks-NZ
instagram.com/the_boondocks_nz/

Any last words?

Thank you for reading. Hope to see you at a Boonies show soon xx