Chicago, IL
Brooklyn, NY
İstanbul, Turkey
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Electronic duo Boy Harsher - Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller - have become a go-to for their highly danceable, cinematic darkwave songs. Building frameworks of minimal beats and urgent synths, Boy Harsher have spent the last decade developing a cult following of fans who crave moody electro-pop cuts that recall genre originators Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and New Order.
Formed in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia, Boy Harsher initially started out as a project called Teen Dreamz, which primarily featured Matthews reading short stories, to which Muller would compose music. Gradually, the duo began to write more rhythmic, danceable music, while Matthews evolved her vocals to find a darker, more sensual tone. Muller and Matthews changed their name to Boy Harsher in 2014 and released their home-recorded debut LP, Lesser Man, that same year.
Eventually, Boy Harsher would relocate to Northampton, Massachusetts. Following the move to Massachusetts, Boy Harsher went on to release their debut album, 2016's Yr Body Is Nothing, via DKA Records. Two years later, Boy Harsher founded their own imprint, Nude Club, which they used as a vehicle to reissue their catalog, including 2014's Lesser Man. Boy Harsher also re-released their 2014 single "Pain II."
In 2019, Boy Harsher released their next album Careful, plus an extended reissue of their 2017 Country Girl EP as Country Girl Uncut. In 2019, Boy Harsher also released a remix version of Careful, titled Careful Remixes, featuring reimaginings by techno producers Marcel Dettmann, Minimal Violence, Rabit, and Silent Servant.
In spring 2020, Muller released his debut soundtrack album, Machine Learning Experiments (Original Soundtrack), which featured original scores for two short adult films, Orgone Theory and Hydra. The following year, Boy Harsher remixed Perfume Genius' "Your Body Changes Everything," which was featured on the latter's Immediately remix album.
In 2022, Boy Harsher released their directorial debut film, The Runner, starring Kristina Esfandiari. The Runner was also released with a soundtrack composed by Muller and Matthews. In addition to music, Muller and Matthews have long been engaged in the film world, and have continuously talked about being influenced by famed surrealist director David Lynch.
Throughout their career, Boy Harsher have repeatedly used moody electro-pop as a way to address heady subjects like mental health, loss, fantasy, and desire.