Photo by Nathaniel Jerome.
Boy Harsher's forthcoming album GET MEAN (out September 18) was made amidst tumult; the long-running darkwave duo composed of Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller ended their romantic partnership in 2024. They found a way to carry on and continue building their immersive sonic world via an ineffable language of synth, drum, and their warbled yet emotive vocalizations.
Today, they're sharing a musical peak behind that album in their very own FADER Mix, "a combination of some casual stuff [they] were listening to this summer and some influences on the record," Muller tells The Fader of the new mix. The result is a set that begins in Australian composer Lawrence English's darkened soundscape, moves into Jazz guitarist Les Paul's very own "Hawaiian Paradise" before Muller and Matthews cycle through the rotation of synth minimalism and post-punk that have come to define their own amalgamated sound.
Read Next: Boy Harsher announces new album ‘Get Mean’
Listen to Boy Harsher's FADER mix on Soundcloud, Youtube, and Mixcloud, and check out its track list and an interview with them below.
Boy Harsher's FADER Mix tracklist:
Lawrence English - "大"
Les Paul and His Trio - "Hawaiian Paradise"
Judie Tzuke - "Shoot from the Heart"
Fine Young Cannibals - "She Drives Me Crazy (The Justin Strauss Remix)"
Pet Shop Boys - "Love Comes Quickly (Dance Mix)"
Severed Heads - "Big Car"
Hubert Kah - "The Picture"
Blue Russell - "I Wanna Fly Away (12" Mix)"
Sofia Reta - "Eraser"
Trisomie 21 - "Breaking Down"
The Antennas - "Just Your Love"
Art Face - "Rain In The South (Francesco Farfa & Hamsa Remix)"
Spirit Blue - "Perfect Storm"
The Crying Nudes - "Two"
Nisantashi Primary School - "Hills"
ML Buch - "Well bell"
Arthur Russell - "Planted a Thought"
Robert Palmer - "Johnny and Mary"
The FADER: Describe your FADER Mix.
Augustus Muller: It’s a combination of some casual stuff we were listening to this summer and some influences on the record.
Jae Matthews: There are a couple tracks on there that have become constant rotation for me like Judie Tzuke’s "Shoot From The Heart." I’ve also been listening to the crying nudes A LOT this summer.
Where did you record it?
Augustus: I recorded it laying down in my bed, pardon some of the transitions.
How has nightlife/DJing informed your creative practice?
Augustus: I’ve learned a lot from DJing. I’ve discovered so many artists, labels, and genres. It’s also taught me a lot about tempo. I never gave BPM much thought, but now I have a pretty good sense of how it impacts a track. When I DJ I usually mix a lot of contemporary club tracks with 80’s post punk and wave. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it's more about exploring the music I like and trying to find a throughline.
Jae: I live in the woods in Massachusetts, so I don’t get a lot of exposure to nightlife … or at least not the nightlife one conjures when talking about DJing. But if there’s a special show I’ll drive (one to two hours) to catch it. I just saw ML Buch, which was spiritual in this understated way. I like watching others perform; I feel like a maniac on stage, so it’s cool to see musicians who operate with so much control. I’m not athletic, but it makes me feel like a sportsman watching playback.
What do you look for in a DJ Mix?
Augustus: I like a mix to be eclectic. Give me some weird shit, like a Japanese Metal Gear Solid sample and a CAN b-side.
Jae: One of my favorite mixes is by Cosey Fanni Tutti: she really blends the whole scene and it’s educational. It features Monte Cazzaza covering Ennio Morricone, Vangelis, Haxan Cloak and so much more. It feels like a wild ride, cinematic and strange.
What was the biggest creative lesson you learned in the making of GET MEAN?
Augustus: I fell in love with the guitar again.
Jae: I tried patience. Things were tough for a bit there and I had a really bad block. I gave myself space and grace to start writing. It allowed me to access a different mode of storytelling and singing. GET MEAN is very much within the Boy Harsher envelope, but I feel a natural transformation in a lot of these tracks. It’s honestly kinda freeing.
I know GET MEAN was made in many different, distinct locations. Do you have a favorite or most memorable recording setting?
Augustus: We posted up in New Braunfels at a small studio sponsored by Syntaur. We had a massive library of synths at our disposal. I got to use the matrix 12 for the first time.
Jae: The first place I started writing: a totally eerie, semi-abandoned estate in the mountains outside of CDMX called Oyameles. The architect was a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, but his work was less rigid, had this organic, slurpy vibe. Kinda angry horses roamed the property with a gang of mutts. A big black dog, named Batman, cooly took a liking to me, and would guard my door every night. This tiny Mexican woman, appropriately named Soledad, would help me light the fireplace (the only source of heat), but other than her I was pretty isolated. I shared my bungalow with a bat. It was lonely and weird. A good primer for writing.
I know the album was made amidst deep changes in your life, both personally and as a band. What's the secret to sustaining a collaboration?
Augustus: Despite how chaotic and painful things got, I think we both knew we couldn’t give up the band. We still have so much to explore, and losing that opportunity would’ve been another tragedy.
Jae: In addition to our mutual devotion to Boy Harsher, I think our collective respect enables us to continue this process. There was a period where I couldn’t be around Gus without needing to smoke, throw up, or cry. Luckily that visceral response has tempered and evolved into a weird trust. It’s hard to describe — but I suppose since we’ve been to the bottom together, I believe and understand him more than most. I’m hopeful it works both ways.
