Minimal Wave Lives On: Boy Harsher's Dark Synth Power

The Massachusetts duo Boy Harsher is proving the continued vitality of minimal wave music, a decade after its initial peak. Their new album, "Careful," features tracks like "Motion," characterized by Augustus Muller's purposeful synth chords and Jae Matthews' haunting vocals, creating an immediate and driving sound. Other songs, such as "Come Closer" and "Tears," exhibit a similar dark pop sensibility with energetic synth and percussion.

Minimal wave, popularized in the late 2000s, continues its reign into the current decade, with bands like Boy Harsher and Essaie Pas demonstrating its sustained relevance and growing versatility. Despite a seemingly limited sonic palette of drum machine loops and oscillating synths, the duo effectively differentiates each track, from the slow burn of "LA" to the energetic "The Look You Gave (Jerry)."

While some experimental tracks lean towards ambient textures, the album is predominantly geared towards movement and dance. Boy Harsher's upcoming performance at Berghain, a renowned techno club in Berlin, underscores the contemporary relevance and dynamic appeal of their scrappy and spirited minimal synth sound.