Boy Harsher, the Northampton, US-based duo of vocalist/lyricist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller, have announced their new album The Runner (Original Soundtrack), out on January 21st, 2022 via Nude Club/City Slang.
Boy Harsher’s fifth release is not a traditional album — it’s the musical counterpart to a short film written, produced, and directed by the duo, entitled The Runner, which will be released alongside the album in January 2022. The Runner is a horror film intercut with a meta-style “documentary” about Boy Harsher’s recording process. The soundtrack balances cinematic instrumentals with pop songs that push the boundaries of Boy Harsher’s sound. In conjunction with today’s announcement, the duo have unveiled the album’s lead single, “Tower,” and have shared new tour dates, including a screening of the movie at London’s Rio Cinema, followed by a show at Earth on February 20th – full tour dates below.
Both the film and soundtrack open with the heavy presence of “Tower.” The song is an incantation; with its pulsing synths, it’s a spell about desire and impending destruction. By the song’s climax, Matthews’ pleas transform into desperate screams. “We wrote ‘Tower’ several years ago and although it’s evolved over the years, its initial intent remains the same – that feeling of being enveloped, suffocated, entrapped in a relationship, which in turn manifests into reckless attack,” explains Matthews. “What you love the most can make you into a monster. And that’s what this song is about, being a paralyzed fiend.”
The visualiser for “Tower” comes from within the world of The Runner —presented as an exclusive session from the NUDETV program “Flesh First,” the duo performs the song in a dim warehouse with a masked drummer recorded on analog video.
Listen to Boy Harsher’s “Tower” below:
The Runner (Original Soundtrack) artwork & tracklist:
1. Tower
2. Give Me a Reason
3. Autonomy (Ft. Lucy – Cooper B. Handy)
4. The Ride Home
5. Escape
6. Machina (Ft. Ms. BOAN – Mariana Saldaña)
7. Untitled (Piano)
8. I Understand
Boy Harsher tour dates:
Wed. Oct 20, 2021 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 Club
Fri. Oct. 22, 2021 – Miami, FL @ III Points Festival
Thu. Oct. 28, 2021 – Austin, TX @ Levitation Festival *SOLD OUT* ^
Sat. Oct. 30, 2021 – Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts *SOLD OUT* #
Sun. Oct. 31, 2021 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made *SOLD OUT*
Thu. Dec. 30, 2021 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *SOLD OUT*
Fri. Dec. 31, 2021 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *SOLD OUT*
Sat. Jan. 1, 2022 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *SOLD OUT*
Thu. Jan. 20, 2022 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre %
Fri. Jan. 21, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer %
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry %
Sun. Jan. 23, 2022 – Durham, NC @ Motorco %
Mon. Jan. 24, 2022 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle %
Tue. Jan. 25, 2022 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West %
Wed. Jan. 26, 2022 – Nashville, TN @ High Watt %
Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat %
Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg %
Sun. Jan. 30, 2022 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg %
Fri. Feb. 4, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater (+ film screening) %
Sat. Feb. 5, 2022 – San Francisco, CA @ Gray Area %
Mon. Feb. 7, 2022 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom %
Tue. Feb. 8, 2022 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom %
Wed. Feb. 9, 2022 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre %
Thu. Feb. 10, 2022 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile %
Fri. Feb. 11, 2022 – Olympia, WA @ Capitol Theater %
Mon. Feb. 14, 2022 – Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage (+ film screening @ La Peniche Cinema) ^^
Tue. Feb. 15, 2022 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje (+ film screening @ Lux Cinema) ^^
Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – Leipzig, DE @ WERK2 (+ film screening @ UT Connewitz) ^^
Thu. Feb. 17, 2022 – Berlin, DE @ Astra (+ film screening @ Intimes Kino ) ^^
Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom ^^
Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Hasselt, BE @ Muziekodroom (+ film screening @ Zed Cinema) ^^
Sun. Feb. 20, 2022 – London, UK @ Earth (+ film screening @ Rio Cinema) !
Sat. June 4, 2022 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
^ = w/ Drab Majesty
# = w/ Lucy
% = w/ Hiro Kone
^^ = w/ Kris Baha
! = w/ Helm