Boy Harsher is an American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group formed in 2013 in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Currently based in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

, the band consists of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller. The band has amassed a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

since their formation, and their song "Pain" has become an underground

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

. Matthews and Muller own and run the label Nude Club, which is exclusively devoted to Boy Harsher and related artists.

History

Knowing each other from

film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are ...

in Savannah, 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 Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

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. 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 Jose Luis Vasquez (May 30, 1979 – January 18, 2024), known professionally as the Soft Moon, was an American musician and record producer. Vasquez was the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and sole official member of the Soft Moo ...

. Their sophomore studio album, 2019's '' Careful'', was backed by an extended reissue of ''Country Girl EP'' as ''Country Girl Uncut''. In that year, a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

of ''Careful'', titled ''Careful Remixes, etc.'', was also released; it featured remixes from

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

producers such as

Marcel Dettmann Marcel Dettmann (born 26 October 1977) is a German DJ, producer, and record label owner. Dettmann is a resident DJ at the Berghain nightclub in Berlin. He used to work at Berlin's record store Hard Wax between 2002 and 2012. In addition to be ...

and

Silent Servant John Juan Mendez (August 14, 1977 – January 18, 2024), who recorded as Silent Servant, was an American techno DJ and music producer. Mendez was a member of the groups Sandwell District and Tropic of Cancer. Early life Mendez was born on ...

. On April 10, 2020, Muller released his debut

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

, ''Machine Learning Experiments (Original Soundtrack)'', which featured original

score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...

s composed for two short adult films, ''Orgone Theory'' and ''Hydra''. The album was issued on Nude Club. In 2021, the band remixed the

Perfume Genius Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, dome ...

song "Your Body Changes Everything." The remix was featured on the album '' Immediately Remixes''. In January 2022, the band's directorial debut film, ''The Runner'', was released with an accompanying soundtrack. The short film starred

Kristina Esfandiari Kristina Esfandiari (born 4 March 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. She writes music and performs under the monikers Dalmatian, Miserable, and NGHTCRWLR, and with the bands King Woman and Sugar High. Early life Kristina E ...

. Following the release of ''The Runner'', Boy Harsher played several high-profile music festivals from 2022 to 2024, including

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...

Roadburn Festival The Roadburn Festival is an annual music festival held each April in Tilburg, Netherlands. It was founded by Walter Hoeijmakers and Jurgen van den Brand in 1999, who ran a stoner rock blog of the same name. The festival has been held at Tilburg ...

Cruel World Festival The Cruel World Festival is an annual music festival held at the Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 2020, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. The festival revolves around the new ...

and

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

Musical style, imagery and influences

Boy Harsher is often labeled as a

dark wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

group, with influences ranging from early forms of industrial to

electronic body music Electronic body music (EBM) is a genre of electronic music that combines elements of industrial music and synth-punk with elements of dance music. It developed in the early 1980s in Western Europe, as an outgrowth of both the punk and the in ...

. Paul Simpson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

referred to the band's music as "dark, danceable

electro pop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a reviv ...

" that references

synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

and EBM. He has characterized Boy Harsher's music by its minimal beats and

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

textures, as well as by Matthews's dynamic vocals that depict "desire, fantasy, and loneliness." On his review for ''Careful'', Kevin Lozano of

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

listed the band as one of the acts that spearhead the

minimal synth Minimal wave is a broad classification of music that comprises obscure, atypical examples of genres such as new wave, stripped-down electronic or synthesizer music, synth-pop, post-punk, and coldwave. Most of the music tends to focus on elect ...

scene along with Essaie pas, noting the "brisk

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

loops,

oscillating Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

synths, and Matthews’ haunting incantations" that permeate the album's sound. Lozano has previously described the band as "making

coldwave Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine ...

that could turn any space in that quiet town into a seedy nightclub." Michael Lawson of '' The Skinny'' thought that the band "straddled the middle ground between melancholic cold wave and regimented synth workouts." Boy Harsher draws heavily from

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

, theatrics and graphic design to tailor the band's visual imagery; Matthews and Muller both have a background in

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

. They have likened the band to the movies ''

Body Heat Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

'' and '' Lost Highway'', the latter of which was directed by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

, a professed influence on the band. Matthews has expressed appreciation for various female vocalists, including

Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...

, Circuit des Yeux,

Alison Lewis Alison Lewis is a South African chemical engineer known for her research in crystallisation and precipitation as applied to the recovery of valuable metals. She is Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of ...

Linea Aspera The linea aspera () is a ridge of roughened surface on the posterior surface of the shaft of the femur. It is the site of attachments of muscles and the intermuscular septum. Its margins diverge above and below. The linea aspera is a prominent ...

Chelsea Wolfe Chelsea Joy Wolfe (born November 14, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her work blends elements of gothic rock, doom metal, and folk music, folk. Growing up in Northern California with a country musician father, Wolfe began ...

and

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

, whereas Muller named

Sleep Chamber Sleep Chamber is an American Industrial music, industrial band fronted by John Zewizz. The band is known for using Sadomasochism, S&M, bondage (BDSM), bondage and Magic (paranormal), magic imagery on their artwork, during their performances, and ...

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

DAF Daf (), also known as dâyere and riq, is an Iranian frame drum musical instrument, also used in popular and classical music in Persian-influenced South and Central Asia, such as in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, many ...

and

Yello Yello is a Swiss electronic music band, which formed in Zürich in 1979. For most of the band's history, Yello has been a duo consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank; founding member Carlos Perón left in 1983. Their sound is often charac ...

as early musical influences on Boy Harsher. Gearwise, Muller mostly employs synthesizers and

samplers Sampler may refer to: * Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal * Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework * Sampler (surna ...

, stating that he "tries and borrows as much nstruments/nowiki> as he can for recording." On the band's minimal instrumentation, he said: "I'm obsessed with how successful the minimalism is with

80s music : ''For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89'' This article includes an overview of popular music in the 1980s. The 1980s saw the emergence of electronic dance music and indie ...

. It’s really a masterclass of what can be done with a drum machine and a couple of synths." A "half-functioning"

Roland Juno-106 The Roland Juno-106 is a synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in February 1984. Features The Juno-106 is a polyphonic synthesizer with six voices. It is an analog synthesizer but with digitally controlled oscillators and chorus effects. ...

was used extensively on the ''Lesser Man'' EP; their live set features synth lines sampled into an

Akai MPC The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of Music workstation#Third generation music workstations, music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine Sampler (musical instrument), ...

, as well as

backing track A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...

Discography

;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" (

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) * "Motion" (2017; dir. MJ Bernier) * "Country Girl" (2017; dir. Jae Matthews) * "Last Days" (2018; dir. Augustus Muller) * "Face the Fire" (2018; dir. Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews) *"Fate" (2018; dir. Bryan M. Ferguson) * "LA" (2019; dir. Kathleen Dycaico and Jill Ferraro) * "Come Closer" (2019; dir. Muted Widows) * "Send Me a Vision" (2019; dir. Augustus Muller) * "Electric" (2020; dir. Idan Barazani)

In popular culture

Film

* The 2022 indie horror film ''

Terrifier 2 ''Terrifier 2'' is a 2022 American supernatural slasher film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. It is the sequel to ''Terrifier'' (2016) and the second installment in the ''Terrifier'' film series. It includes the return of David H ...

'', directed by

Damien Leone Damien Leone (born January 29, 1982)is an American filmmaker, film editor, and special effects artist. He is best known for writing and directing ''All Hallows' Eve (2013 film), All Hallows' Eve'' (2013), ''Terrifier'' (2016), ''Terrifier 2'' (20 ...

, features the track "Pain", from the band's 2014 EP, ''Lesser Man''. It appears at 1h24'42", during the party scene.

References

External links

*
Boy Harsher
on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

Nude Club Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Harsher 2013 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) American dark wave musical groups American electronic music duos American industrial music groups American synth-pop groups Cold wave groups Electronic music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) American electropop groups Minimal wave groups Musical duos from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 2013 Musical groups from Savannah, Georgia