Sam McCarthy is a New Zealand songwriter and pop vocalist. He is best known for his work in
Kids of 88
Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, " My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and re ...
McCarthy was brought up in Auckland in the suburb of Weymouth. He was educated at Weymouth Primary School and St Peter's College. He and
Jordan Arts
Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, " My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and rele ...
met at St Peter's and quickly realised that they were on the same wavelength. They were in the same English class.
McCarthy has said: "As an icebreaking exercise we were told to bring in our favourite song. Everyone brought in
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
, but the thing that linked Jordan and myself is that we were wanky enough to bring in
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
songs. We were both trying to be as cool as possible so we rummaged through our parents' CD collection as opposed to our own".Vicki Anderson, "Kids of 88", ''The Press'', 13 August 2010, p. 14.
With Jordan Arts, David Wong, Graham Scherer and Michael Pomare, McCarthy was a member of "Incursa", a St Peter's College band which won the Smokefreerockquest in 2004.
Career
Members from Incursa went on to form punk icons False Start and Goodnight Nurse, which McCarthy still belongs to as a guitarist. Arts and McCarthy then formed
Kids of 88
Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, " My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and re ...
.Tom Fitzsimons, "The kids are alright", ''Dominion Post'', 12 August 2010, p. 3. In releasing the first Kids of 88 album,
Sugarpills
Sugarpills is the debut album from New Zealand electropop band Kids of 88 released 16 August 2010.My House" and " Just A Little Bit" (released earlier as singles). Their style is broadly a fusion of
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and 1980's style dance music. They describe it as "a cross between a late 80's police drama intro theme and a sophisticated super hussy". A reviewer has said "while reminiscent of early 80s
synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
, they aren't a direct copy of their antecedents. There's also a touch of 2010 punk swagger and adrenaline, where dance can't ignore what's been achieved in R&B and hip-hop". McCarthy and Arts produced the album themselves and worked with a simple technical set-up out of a bedroom. At the
2010 New Zealand Music Awards
The 2010 New Zealand Music Awards was the 45th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 16 August 2010 with winners ...
, Kids of 88 won "Single of the Year" and (with Tim Van Dammen) "Music Video of the Year" for their single Just a Little Bit.
In 2013, McCarthy wrote and recorded "Don't Let Me Go" with Harry Styles, from One Direction.
In 2016, McCarthy began recording
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
music under the pseudonym BOYBOY. He released three songs, "Boy", "None of Your Love" and VIces".
Discography
Albums
With Goodnight Nurse
* ''Always and Never'' (2006) Festival
* ''Keep Me on Your Side'' (2008) Warner
With Kids of 88
* ''Sugarpills'' (2010) Dryden Street/Sony Music
* ''Modern Love'' (2012) Dryden Street/Sony Music