Boy Harsher

Boy Harsher is an American electronic and darkwave group from Savannah, United States, formed in 2013. The duo consists of Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller, and their work is associated with coldwave, drone, EBM, electronic, minimal wave, new wave, spoken word and darkwave.

Sound and approach

The group makes music built from minimal beats, grinding synthesizers and ethereal vocals. Muller provides the understructure with sparse percussion and harsh synth lines, while Matthews sings, whispers, screams and chants over the top. Their songs often sit between dance music, trance and confessional storytelling.

Boy Harsher also uses a stripped-back approach to instrumentation. Muller mainly uses synthesizers and samplers, and has described the appeal of minimal 1980s drum machines and a few synths. A damaged Roland Juno-106 is used extensively on the Lesser Man EP, and their live set includes sampled synth lines played through an Akai MPC alongside backing tracks.

Influences and visual style

The band draws heavily on cinema, theatrics and graphic design in its visual presentation. Matthews and Muller both have backgrounds in filmmaking, and they compare the group’s atmosphere to films such as Body Heat and Lost Highway. David Lynch is a stated influence on the band.

Matthews has named Nico, Circuit des Yeux, Alison Lewis of Linea Aspera, Chelsea Wolfe and Zola Jesus among her vocal influences. Muller has cited Sleep Chamber, Suicide, DAF and Yello as early influences.

Reputation

Boy Harsher develops a cult following around its stark sound and visual identity. The group releases music on Nude Club.