Boy Harsher: Lesser Man (Extended Version) Vinyl LP

“I’m not that person in the night…” Released in 2014 and still one of the most sweated Boy Harsher releases, Lesser Man introduced the duo’s idiosyncratic minimal wave sound to those who hadn’t had the privilege of seeing their revered live shows up to that point. Augustus Miller’s pulsing industrial synthwave grooves are sparse and deadly, and Jae Matthews’ androgynous vocals introduce new levels of intoxication to a well-trodden genre. From the first couple pulses of arpeggiated bass on side 1 opener “Lust” you know what time it is. The big chune “Pain” is pulsing with electricity and bears a heavy Banshees influence. “Modulations” is the record’s most immediate dancefloor fodder; sparse and groovy with hypnotic FM synth chirps over Jae’s freaky ass lyric - I won’t quote it here, but check the lyric sheet. “Crimea” cleanses the palette with washes of drone and noise before the record’s final pair of (relatively) romantic ballads, “Love” and “Spell.” Initially only available on cassette, then four of the tracks were made available on vinyl as the Pain EP a year later; this new-ish extendo version contains the full original tracklist plus previously digital-only track “Run,” a jacking fist-pumper of a beat draped in heatseeking synths and gently echoed vocals. I wish I DJ’d a goth club just so I could squeeze this one off. Black vinyl pressing on the band’s own Nude Club imprint, includes 12x12” lyric sheet, recommended.

• black vinyl pressing
• extended version of 2014 debut cassette w/ bonus track
• includes double-sided lyric sheet
• music label: Nude Club 2018

reviewed by laughable butane bob 09/2019