Boy Harsher are back with another glimpse into their highly anticipated new era. The darkwave duo, Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller, shared their new single, “Hard Beat,” alongside a striking music video while officially announcing their new album, GET MEAN, arriving September 18 via Atlantic Records.
To top it all off, fans in New York and Los Angeles will have the chance to party with the band at two special events hosted by Boy Harsher and Pretty But Wicked. On July 25, Boy Harsher will bring their Nude Club party to Paragon in Brooklyn for an album preview party and performance. They will then head to Milky’s in Los Angeles on August 7 for another special party. The duo will be performing some new songs off GET MEAN. Fun friends Chanel Beads, Jessy Lanza, and more will DJ.
“Hard Beat” follows the release of the album’s first single, “Jeans,” a playful take on Americana ideals of self-actualization and success. While “Jeans'” sound was lighter and more bouncy and leaned into biting satire, “Hard Beat” dives into Boy Harsher’s signature darker territory. The EBM-forward track arrives with a video that explores unsettling themes and will have you looking over your shoulder.
Directed by Boy Harsher with cinematographer Owen Smith-Clark, the video draws inspiration from Helmut Newton’s 1995 High and Mighty photo series and the queer punk cinema of Gregg Araki. It stars artist and model Cheeky Ma and actor Mo Stark as two mysterious drifters speeding down an eerie highway in a vintage Cadillac while Matthews, dressed in a funeral veil, narrates from the backseat. Elsewhere, Angel Zinovieff appears trapped in a windowless, grimy room under constant surveillance, with movement choreographed by performance artist Monica Mirabile (FLUCT).
Following the release of GET MEAN, Boy Harsher will launch a North American headline tour beginning September 25 in Hudson, New York. The trek includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Chicago, and more before wrapping up at Knockdown Center in New York. Support on select dates will come from Choir Boy, Evanora Unlimited, True Blue, and Kassie Krut.
Boy Harsher will also perform at The Observatory Festival Grounds on October 18 opening for Turnstile.
The duo’s creative ambitions extend well beyond music. Boy Harsher is currently developing their debut feature film, The Lonely Woman, which stars Chloë Sevigny, FKA twigs, and Sturgill Simpson.
