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Boy Harsher

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Boy Harsher
Boy Harsher in 2014: Augustus Muller (left) and Jae Matthews (right)
Background information
Also known asTeen Dreamz (2013-14)
OriginSavannah, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Years active2013 (2013)–present
Labels
Members
  • Jae Matthews
  • Augustus Muller
Websiteboyharsher.com

Boy Harsher is an American electronic music group formed in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia. Currently based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the band consists of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller. The band has amassed a cult following since their formation,[1] and their song "Pain" has become an underground hit.[2][3] Matthews and Muller own and run the label Nude Club, which is exclusively devoted to Boy Harsher and related artists.[1]

History

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Knowing each other from film school in Savannah,[4] Muller and Matthews started the project Teen Dreamz in 2013, which acted as a precursor to Boy Harsher. The project consisted of Matthews performing her spoken word pieces and Muller providing a musical backing. Throughout the year, Teen Dreamz's sound became more danceable, as Matthews's vocals developed into a more expressive singing style. The band renamed their project as Boy Harsher in 2014.[1]

Boy Harsher released its home-recorded debut EP Lesser Man in the same year. Following their relocation to Massachusetts, the band recorded and released its debut album, Yr Body Is Nothing in 2016 on DKA Records. After the release of 2017's Country Girl EP, the band formed their Nude Club imprint in 2018, re-issuing their catalog. One of the first releases on Nude Club, "Pain II", is a reissue of their 2014 single with a remix by The Soft Moon.[1] Their sophomore studio album, 2019's Careful,[1] was backed by an extended reissue of Country Girl EP as Country Girl Uncut.[5] In that year, a remix album of Careful, titled Careful Remixes, etc., was also released; it featured remixes from techno producers such as Marcel Dettmann and Silent Servant.[2]

On April 10, 2020, Muller released his debut soundtrack album, Machine Learning Experiments (Original Soundtrack), which featured original scores composed for two short adult films, Orgone Theory and Hydra. The album was issued on Nude Club.[6] In 2021, the band remixed the Perfume Genius song "Your Body Changes Everything." The remix was featured on the album Immediately Remixes.[7] In January 2022, the band's directorial debut film, The Runner, was released with an accompanying soundtrack. The short film starred Kristina Esfandiari.[8]

Following the release of The Runner, Boy Harsher played several high-profile music festivals from 2022 to 2024, including Primavera Sound, Roadburn Festival, Cruel World Festival and Coachella.[9][10][11][12]

Musical style, imagery and influences

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German synthpunk band DAF (pictured in 1981) was reportedly an early influence.[4]

Boy Harsher is often labeled as a dark wave group,[2][13] with influences ranging from early forms of industrial to electronic body music.[14] Paul Simpson of AllMusic referred to the band's music as "dark, danceable electro pop" that references synth pop and EBM. He has characterized Boy Harsher's music by its minimal beats and synth textures, as well as by Matthews's dynamic vocals that depict "desire, fantasy, and loneliness."[1] On his review for Careful, Kevin Lozano of Pitchfork listed the band as one of the acts that spearhead the minimal synth scene along with Essaie pas, noting the "brisk drum machine loops, oscillating synths, and Matthews’ haunting incantations" that permeate the album's sound.[15] Lozano has previously described the band as "making coldwave that could turn any space in that quiet town into a seedy nightclub."[16] Michael Lawson of The Skinny thought that the band "straddled the middle ground between melancholic cold wave and regimented synth workouts."[3]

Boy Harsher draws heavily from cinema, theatrics and graphic design to tailor the band's visual imagery;[2][14][17] Matthews and Muller both have a background in filmmaking.[1] They have likened the band to the movies Body Heat and Lost Highway,[18] the latter of which was directed by David Lynch, a professed influence on the band.[17] Matthews has expressed appreciation for various female vocalists, including Nico, Circuit des Yeux, Alison Lewis of Linea Aspera, Chelsea Wolfe and Zola Jesus, whereas Muller named Sleep Chamber, Suicide, DAF and Yello as early musical influences on Boy Harsher.[4] Gearwise, Muller mostly employs synthesizers and samplers, stating that he "tries and borrows as much [instruments] as he can for recording."[4] On the band's minimal instrumentation, he said: "I'm obsessed with how successful the minimalism is with 80s music. It’s really a masterclass of what can be done with a drum machine and a couple of synths."[17] A "half-functioning" Roland Juno-106 was used extensively on the Lesser Man EP; their live set features synth lines sampled into an Akai MPC, as well as backing tracks.[4]

Discography

[edit]
Jae Matthews performing with Boy Harsher in 2014
Studio albums
  • Yr Body Is Nothing (2016)
  • Careful (2019)
  • Country Girl Uncut (2019)
  • The Runner (Original Soundtrack) (2022)
EPs
  • Lesser Man (2014)
  • Pain (2015)
  • Country Girl EP (2017)
  • Burn It Down (2022)
Singles
  • "Motion" (2017)
  • "Country Girl" (2017)
  • "Run" (2017)
  • "Pain II" (2018)
  • "Pain" (The Soft Moon Remix) (2018)
  • "Face the Fire" (2018)
  • "Fate" (2018)
  • "LA" (2019)
  • "R.O.V. (New Beat Edit) // Part Time Punks Session" (2020)
Remix album
  • Careful Remixes, etc. (2019)
Music videos
  • "Deep Well" (2016; dir. Zach Hart)[19]
  • "Motion" (2017; dir. MJ Bernier)[20]
  • "Country Girl" (2017; dir. Jae Matthews)[21]
  • "Last Days" (2018; dir. Augustus Muller)[22]
  • "Face the Fire" (2018; dir. Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews)[23]
  • "Fate" (2018; dir. Bryan M. Ferguson)[24]
  • "LA" (2019; dir. Kathleen Dycaico and Jill Ferraro)[25]
  • "Come Closer" (2019; dir. Muted Widows)[26]
  • "Send Me a Vision" (2019; dir. Augustus Muller)[2]
  • "Electric" (2020; dir. Idan Barazani)[27]
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Film

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  • The 2022 indie horror film Terrifier 2 directed by Damien Leone features the track "Pain" from the 2014 EP Lesser Man. It appears at 1h24'42", during the party scene. [28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, Paul. "Boy Harsher biography". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Harriman, Andi (September 3, 2019). "Boy Harsher are the cinematic sound of heartbreak". dazeddigital.com. Dazed. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Lawson, Michael (January 31, 2019). "Boy Harsher – Careful". theskinny.co.uk. The Skinny. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dunlea, Reed (May 26, 2015). "Boy Harsher: Making A "Moving Choker-Collar Muscle Mash" One Room at a Time". Vice. Vice Media. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Panzer, Natalia (September 3, 2019). "Boy Harsher expand on Country Girl EP with Country Girl Uncut". Fact. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Mickles, Kiana (March 5, 2020). "Boy Harsher's Augustus Muller collects film scores on new album, Machine Learning Experiments". Resident Advisor. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. ^ Martin, Josh (January 15, 2021). "Perfume Genius announces 'Immediately' remix album, shares video for Boy Harsher's 'Your Body Changes Everything'". NME. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Danton, Eric R. (January 18, 2022). "Boy Harsher's new music sounded like a soundtrack to something. So they made a horror film". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Pearis, Bill (2021-10-19). "Boy Harsher announce new LP and 2022 tour (listen to "Tower")". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  10. ^ Jackson, Luke (2023-05-10). "Roadburn 2023: A Definitive Look Back (Festival Review + Photos)". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  11. ^ Jones, Damien (23 January 2023). "Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop lead Cruel World Festival 2023 line-up with other acts including the Human League". NME. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  12. ^ Singh, Surej (2024-01-17). "Coachella 2024: Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat lead line-up". NME. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  13. ^ Mandel, Leah (January 24, 2019). "Be 'Careful': Boy Harsher Pushes its Darkwave Sound to Thrilling Ends". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Shand, Max (November 26, 2019). "Boy Harsher Are Stealing Back the Club". PopMatters. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Lozano, Kevin (February 4, 2019). "Boy Harsher: Careful". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  16. ^ Lozano, Kevin (July 21, 2017). "Boy Harsher: "Motion"". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c "They've never been to Berghain: An interview with Boy Harsher about their new album "Careful"". volt-magazin.de. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  18. ^ Novello, Lena. "Boy Harsher: Darkness From Within". metalmagazine.eu. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  19. ^ "Boy Harsher - "Deep Well" (Official Video)". YouTube. September 29, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  20. ^ "Boy Harsher share the video for "Motion" off of their 'Country Girl' EP—Plus Tourdates". post-punk.com. July 20, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  21. ^ "Boy Harsher premiere the video for 'Country Girl' Plus more NA and EU tour dates". post-punk.com. September 18, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  22. ^ "Boy Harsher share their "Last Days"". post-punk.com. March 26, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "Boy Harsher Unveil Their David Lynch Inspired Video for "Face the Fire"". post-punk.com. October 30, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  24. ^ "Video: Boy Harsher - "Fate"". +Recommended Listen. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  25. ^ Gore, Sydney (January 22, 2019). "Country Camgirls Take the Spotlight in Boy Harsher's "LA" Video". highsnobiety.com. Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  26. ^ Gore, Sydney (April 15, 2019). "Boy Harsher Releases Video for "Come Closer"!". toomuchlovemagazine.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  27. ^ "Boy Harsher - "Electric" (Official video)". YouTube. April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  28. ^ "Terrifier 2 (2022) - IMDb". IMDb.
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