Boy Harsher: The Sound of a Broken Heart.
Jae Matthews and Gus Muller are not afraid to speak up or be upfront. Boy Harsher was one of the many bands to show solidarity to the black community and the 15-26 million people in the United States who have participated in demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd and others at the hands of police in recent months. “America has long lived on borrowed time for both overt and subtle racist tendencies,” Matthews says. “Institutionalized and systemic injustices have made life in this country challenging and dangerous for people of color. Change should’ve happened a long time ago. [I’m] hoping that this movement will impose real change and equality,” she continues.
“Because of the pandemic and quarantine, more people were able to address these dangers and inequalities,” she explains. “To have Black Lives Matter and defunding the police become recognized on a mainstream level is an accomplishment. Police in the states utilize a lot of force against citizens; they carry guns and are reckless with authority. Police brutality is a horrific reality and must be eliminated – and it seems that the only [way] for this is the demilitarization and defunding of the police. People who used to describe themselves as ‘apolitical’ are opening their eyes and starting to digest what’s going on, and hopefully recognizing their role in these biases,” she concludes.
Their outspokenness and honesty about the outer world reflects the way they channel their personal experiences through the music of Boy Harsher. “It doesn’t feel right to put so much into something (like creating a song or video) only to have the message be thoughtless or made up,” Matthews explains. “My lyrics aren’t all that deep. It’s really about channeling something real, which usually is shameful or angry or lustful, always personal. You’ll be performing it hundreds of times, so it’s important to make something that will maintain its power.”
Matthews and Muller met while both studying film at Savannah’s College of Art & Design, before starting Boy Harsher in 2014. “In the beginning, this project wasn’t all that serious in terms of ‘career.’ We liked what we were doing, but also knew that it was unlikely that it could go anywhere. We consistently toured and lost money, lost hope, picked up waitressing jobs. But then one day it seemed like people wanted to buy our record or go to a show. So we decided to ride that wave and slowly BH evolved into our whole lives,” Matthews explains. “For years it felt like the band was hanging on by a thread. We kept playing and writing because we liked it, but we never thought it would be a long term thing,” Muller added.
Six years later, Boy Harsher have released two studio albums, three EPs and various singles. The idea of movement, of leaving, of dropping everything, is a consistent theme throughout their whole discography, especially on their latest LP, Careful. Now, in 2020 when the global pandemic is hitting the music industry and especially underground bands like Boy Harsher – which usually tour very intensely – the world of Matthews and Muller has changed completely during the last months.
“We’ve been moving so much the last 5 years,” Muller says. “It’s been nice to focus on other things rather than music. It’s definitely given me perspective on a lot of things.” Matthews adds, “This is the first time Gus and I have ever had our own home. We’ve lived together for a while, but never in our own place (usually with roommates or in sublets). The time has been awful in certain ways and of course we’re restless, but it’s nice to have our own spot to experience the house arrest.”
“During this time I’ve been making myself get in the studio and write. Sometimes it feels good, but a lot of time I feel really lost,” Muller admits. “I rely on the live shows as inspiration. I stay optimistic and [I’m] hoping shows come back ASAP. Once we can get back on the road, everything will start flowing again.” ■
Boy Harsher live at the Knockdown Center in New York
