BOY HARSHER - Get Mean

The contaminated language of contemporary darkwave owes a huge debt to the music of Boy Harsher: the single “Pain” (2015) and the debut “Yr Body Is Nothing” (released the following year) marked a new starting point for the genre, inspiring plenty of devoted acolytes. The credit goes to a more synthetic, electronic approach, often danceable, blending dark techno-ish pulses with a minimal-synth lineage.

“Get Mean” (whose cover art revisits an idea already used in the past by Virgin Prunes) is the fourth album, if we count the previous “The Runner”, released as the soundtrack to the short film of the same name directed by the duo. No longer a couple in real life, though, and it's no coincidence that the record was born as a reflection on love, loss and survival. But the changes don't end there, given the move to a major label like Atlantic and the inexorable commercial turn that, in some ways, was anything but unexpected. A warning sign already sounded with “Jeans”, an insubstantial lead single in line with a synth-pop that's frankly bland and forgettable. It's a story that repeats itself with other tracks on the record, from “Break Me” to “Faulty”, compositions lacking that morbid sensuality that once made Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller's music so distinctive.
Of course, and thankfully, not everything is disposable: “Tough Luck” discreetly nods to New Order, “Hard Beat” is a nice hook back to the past, while “Pray 4 Me” is an elegant new wave piece bordering on sophisti-pop. Then there's “Falling”, lightweight but pleasant, while closer “Bleed” even edges toward witch house territory.

The American duo has thus made its peace with the mainstream. It would be prejudiced to approach this shift with preconceived doubts about the record's quality, but it's fairly obvious that “Get Mean” has very little of it to offer: it goes down easily and is just as easily forgotten. It leaves barely a trace behind.
Having already shed a good chunk of their goth fanbase along the way, Boy Harsher now risk failing to win over a new audience either, since there are already plenty of similarly-minded projects out there — several of them more acclaimed and more inspired.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

22/09/2026