Pessimistic to an almost ridiculous extreme, self-medicating, self-aware, lugubrious, and downright sexy. Boy Harsher is Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews, currently of Northampton, MA (UMass connection???!). Together they are part of a modern wave of blinds-drawn bedroom brooders appropriating the best of the goth tradition for the Alprazolam generation -- sans guitars, of course. They prefer depth to breadth, sticking to a relatively constant sonic palette but exploring it to its fullest extent. Deliberate, confident and mature compositions. Really looking forward to hearing more from these up-and-comers!

Choice cuts: 3, 5, 6, 10

Genre: EBM, minimal electronics, drone, sedated synth
Friends: HTRK, Tropic of Cancer, Absolute Body Control, Monoton, In Trance 95

1. (1:37) A first course of lighthouse-lamp sawtooth sweeps.
2. (4:22) Sparse mid-fi percussion, a synth arpeggio out of sync with the 4/4 beat, and the occasional pad. Low-register, slightly funereal vocals are a perfect match to the other timbres. Completely danceable!
3. (5:13) A title track and they know it. Bassline and hook are both infectious three-note sketches. Vocals are treated with an otherworldly delay. Tasteful industrial accompaniment adds just the right amount of dread.
4. (3:43) Stark. Tug-of-war between driving synth pulse + drum machines and benzo'd-out vocals. Tension builds until the very end, culminating in an unexpectedly vulnerable vocal performance.
5. (4:13) Uncomfortably loud whispers, a destroyed synth stab on every beat 1, and the simplest drums. A brief ending suite brings the intensity to delirious levels -- 16th-note hihats, bestial moans, rising tones. Dance music for the bottom of the pit.
6. (4:05) Really cool long-envelope drum machine patches. Sunsoaked synth chords lurk in the background but Jae doesn't lighten up too much. Straight-to-the-point post-punky chord progression. Standout track!
7. (4:20) Greater focus on the vocals, which this time form around some gorgeous melodies. Middle section features a dubbed-out extended jam. Drums are straight-up Chicago house.
8. (4:16) Hardcore loopy goodness in the rhythm section. Deserts, rivers, "I'm crawling, I'm crawling." Another one for the daring DJ's flash drive.
9. (4:50) One of the more chilling tracks. Tightly looping TR-303-like bassline. Frenzied and unsettling whispers about switchblades and a mysterious unsavory character.
10. (3:20) No percussion, heeaaaavily delayed vocals, suspicious droning soundscapes. Words are hard to understand now. No more dancing, no Hollywood endings, no respite, no excape. Conclusive in a messy and uncertain sense. Best in context but would make a compelling denouement to any nighttime journey.