Renowned for their expansive output of genre-defiant avant-drone-metal albums and their inspired collaborations with the likes of Sunn O)))) and Merzbow, Boris are one of the most aggressively innovative bands to come out of Japan since Boredoms. A longstanding cooler-than-thou password within the indie underworld, Boris' fame went worldwide with their 2005 masterpiece Pink — a record that garnered unanimously reverent reviews with its marriage of stoner metal, noisegaze and drone. Their latest release, Smile, is another sonically searing exploration of distorted textures, Melvins-inspired sludge and blues-metal bombast. With the help of two translators and a great deal of patience, EYE WEEKLY elicited this email dialogue with drummer Atsuo while the band made their way through the southern US.

How was the European tour?
Well, it was the longest tour we’d ever done so it was very tough physically. We all got sick during the tour. But being able to look out from the stage every night at our fans’ faces was really exciting for us.

It's my understanding that you haven't played Toronto before. Have you played in Canada at all?
We played in Vancouver once. We plan on playing three shows in Canada on this trip. We’re really looking forward to all the Canadian shows.

Are you surprised by the success you’ve been having in North America?
No, not at all. We're just doing what we enjoy, the way we've always liked to. That's the same for us now as it's always been. None of the members of the band are conscious of the big reaction we've been getting. But I think we've been working pretty hard for a while, so we're really pleased, and even though we have new responsibilities and expectations to meet, it’s fun responding to all of it.

How much does that have to do with Southern Lord distributing your records over here?
Yeah, each of our releases is definitely supported by the label's infrastructure. But we were friends with the guys in Sunn O))) before they started their label, and if we didn't have that friendship, none of this would be happening now. I think we’ve inspired each other and matured together and arrived at where we're at now.

How do your collaborations (with Sunn O))) and Merzbow in particular) affect your approach to making a Boris album?
We didn't use words much in our collaboration with [Merzbow’s Masami Akita]. He's very shy. And with Sunn O))), since we can't speak English very well, we mainly communicated through sound. But yeah, come to think of it, the members of Boris have been speaking to each other a lot less during recordings.

With respect to the two versions of Smile’s packaging — foil warplanes for the US release and a yellow vinyl heart for Japan. What was the concept behind each package?
Southern Lord's Stephen O’Malley designed it for us, and at the first meeting, for some reason, we were both thinking of flying objects. Maybe we both had elevation on our minds? The title and key colors were decided in advance. I designed the Japanese version. I think the heart mark is such a strong symbol, and I was into how dangerous it was. In Japan, if you put a heart mark after a sentence, it automatically takes on this really positive tone.  Like even if you write: “Die!” I thought it would be great if I could use the heart mark to make Boris's image even more messed up. We were totally wiped out from constant recording and touring, and the gouged out, hollow yellow heart seemed to communicate that in a direct way. But honestly I think no matter what you should be able to smile. I always feel a smile coming across my face when I look out into the audience at our shows.   

You’ve released different versions of albums in the past. Are trying to subvert any one definitive version of what Boris is?
Very simply, we just didn't think there was any reason to limit ourselves to one "original" version. And we didn't think we were doing anything particularly out of the ordinary this time, but I've been surprised by the huge reaction it's triggered. All over the world I've been very surprised by this common attitude I've sensed, like, “There must be one and only one version of an album” and I've felt like this state of mind represents a real crisis.

Is that why you mix up wide releases (like Pink and Smile) with very limited and vinyl-only releases?
Digital media just can't offer the degree of tangible information and substance that analog has. [Analog] sound deteriorates each time you listen — how great is that? The sound is different every time. Shards of scraped up records stay with us as accumulated experiences. That said, you can’t change the world if all you offer are objects of the highest grade. CDs and digital media serve as gateways to the better, richer objects, and are wonderful in their own way for their potential to reach so many people. We plan on using both digital and analog media, and at the same time take our live show very seriously. Because a show only happens once. Shows are definitely the most thrilling for us.

Is this a reaction or resistance to the technologically-saturated Japanese culture?
:)
Japan is already at the point of no return. In America and Europe, digital sales go up, CD sales go down and on the flipside the demand for analog goes up. In Japan we have a store called Tsutaya, a big chain like Blockbuster in the States, and lots of people just pick up whatever is in Tsutaya, rent it (one disc is like 3 dollars to rent), burn an MP3 CD at home and listen to that. So digital sales aren’t going up in Japan, CD sales are plummeting, and no one even thinks about analog. Japan is interested in convenience, and lots of Japanese people just treat music like clothes, just putting on whatever is popular. The market is totally different there.

And do you all listen to vinyl rather than CDs or MP3s?
Takeshi loves analog. I'm always editing whatever recording Boris is working on and spend all my time listening to it over and over, so I don't have a lot of time to listen to other artists’ albums. And on tour we try to sleep whenever we can to refresh our tired bodies.

You’ve used the term “cool music” in a number of interviews, but what exactly do you mean by that term?
If I was talking about how we were tired of “cool music” I was referring to whatever was currently being presented and consumed as “cool music” and expressing my opposition to it. But we don't think of ourselves as even playing music anymore, and we don't think of ourselves as a band. We just consider what we do as using sound to produce works and shows that serve as opportunities for the birth of new experiences. And in Toronto, we hope to have a thrilling, exciting, and rich experience with the audience.

BORIS PLAY LEE’S PALACE (529 BLOOR W) WITH TORCHE, NACHT MYSTIUM MONDAY, JULY 14. DOORS 8PM. SOLD OUT.