Dance/Electronic

Boy Harsher is an American electronic music group, formed in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia. Currently based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the band consists of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller. The band has amassed a cult following since their formation,[1] and their song "Pain" has become an underground hit.[2][3] Matthews and Muller own and run the label Nude Club, which is exclusively devoted to Boy Harsher and related artists.

Knowing each other from film school in Savannah,[4] 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 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.[1]

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.[1] Their sophomore studio album, 2019's Careful,[1] was backed by an extended reissue of Country Girl as Country Girl Uncut.[5] In that year, a remix album of Careful, titled Careful Remixes, etc. was also released; it featured remixes from techno producers such as Marcel Dettmann and Silent Servant.[2]

On April 10, 2020, Muller released his debut soundtrack album, Machine Learning Experiments (Original Soundtrack), which featured original scores composed for two short adult films, Orgone Theory and Hydra. The album was issued on Nude Club.[6] In 2021, the band remixed the Perfume Genius song "Your Body Changes Everything." The remix was featured in the album, Immediately Remixes.[7] In January 2022, the band's directorial debut film, The Runner, was released with an accompanying soundtrack. The short film starred Kristina Esfandiari.

Boy Harsher is often labeled as a dark wave group,[2][9] with influences ranging from early forms of industrial to electronic body music.[10] Paul Simpson of AllMusic referred to the band's music as "dark, danceable electro pop" that references synth pop and EBM. He has characterized Boy Harsher's music by its minimal beats and synth textures, as well as by Matthews's dynamic vocals that depict "desire, fantasy, and loneliness."[1] On his review for Careful, Kevin Lozano of Pitchfork listed the band as one of the acts that spearhead the minimal synth scene along with Essaie pas, noting the "brisk drum machine loops, oscillating synths, and Matthews’ haunting incantations" that permeate the album's sound.[11] Lozano has previously described the band as "making coldwave that could turn any space in that quiet town into a seedy nightclub."[12] Michael Lawson of The Skinny thought that the band "straddled the middle ground between melancholic cold wave and regimented synth workouts."[3]

Boy Harsher draws heavily from cinema, theatrics and graphic design to tailor the band's visual imagery;[2][10][13] Matthews and Muller both have a background in filmmaking.[1] They have likened the band to the movies Body Heat and Lost Highway,[14] latter of which was directed by David Lynch, a professed influence on the band.[13] Matthews has expressed appreciation for various female vocalists, including Nico, Circuit des Yeux, Alison Lewis of Linea Aspera, Chelsea Wolfe and Zola Jesus, whereas Muller named Sleep Chamber, Suicide, DAF and Yello as early musical influences on Boy Harsher.[4] Gearwise, Muller mostly employs synthesizers and samplers, stating that he "tries and borrows as much [instruments] as he can for recording."[4] On the band's minimal instrumentation, he said: "I’m obsessed with how successful the minimalism is with 80s music. It’s really a masterclass of what can be done with a drum machine and a couple of synths."[13] A "half-functioning" Roland Juno-106 was used extensively on Lesser Man EP; their live set features synth lines sampled into an Akai MPC, as well as backing tracks.

South Sydney local TOMMY GUN slingshots straight to the main stage of the Australian music scene, sharing it with the likes of Thelma Plum and Winston Surfshirt. His last single played on Triple J's Home and Hosed and both of his recent film clips granted a spot on ABC’s Rage.

“Even When” is a song that demands to be heard. Speaking about the song in a press release, TOMMY GUN says “When I was writing the lyrics, I wanted to express the feeling of chasing someone who is emotionally unavailable. The song is about trusting that you will find the person that’s right for you.” Musically, the band pushed boundaries by experimenting with auto-tune, howling guitars and anthemic rock drums to convey the mixture of feelings one gains from offering their heart to a turbulent relationship. Recorded/ Mixed/ Mastered by George Georgiadis (Gang of Youths, Matt Corby, Last Dinosaurs and Ruby Fields) this Sydney super-group will be breathing fresh life into the Australian live music scene, captivating old and new fans.

Austin Millz has surely surpassed (but not forgotten) his roots as one of Harlem’s hometown heroes and early renegade of its genre-bending art scene. From recently performing at Quincy Jones AKG 70th anniversary to performing for Beyoncé at her special Coachella Homecoming event, Austin has been trail blazing. His music is a deeply textured coalescents of soul and dancefloor euphoria, it emblifies the different phases of a night out - the afterhour bliss, a hazy pastel sunrise. It is an expansion of the sonic vocabulary with depth and boldness that can only be truly captured in the flesh. Applauded for his fusion of hip-hop and dance music, Millz has carved out a special niche between the two realms within his unique vision and has also garnered attention for his larger than life stage presence, which has captured both local and national audiences. With an unruly energy, and an oasis of expressionist energy in live performance, Austin evokes a type of postmodern exploration that questions conventional notions of music and culture. A type of exploration in which one’s brightest light is always upon the horizon. Only watching Austin perform, as he tames every sputtering vibration with a deeply focused effortlessness, does it become clear why he has surpasses the rest.

Sina Bathaie is a Multi-instrumentalist, Producer and Composer with more than 100 million streams on digital platforms. Originally from Iran, he is known for his unique style of playing traditional instruments such as the oud and ukulele and bringing an eastern touch to his electronic music.

Sina has performed at festivals and events including Burning Man, Luminato, Folk Music Ontario, CINARS, and Mundial Montréal.

His single “Breath of Life,” has amassed 20 million streams and achieved charting success in countries including Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. His single "Seven Ponds" became trending with millions of streams upon release in early 2024.

He has been signed with record labels such as Hoomidaas, Windcatcher Records, Tibetania and Camel VIP and has performed internationally. Sina began learning the santur at the age of seven from his father, Javad Bathaie, and studied Persian music with the instrument Oud.