Yeah, synth pop has gotten a bit crowded in the 40 years since Depeche and Liasons Dangereuses soldered their first synths together, but Boy Harsher cut right through the corpse paint like so much wheat from the chaff. Boy Harsher is the duo of Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews, based in Northampton, Mass. Country Girl Uncut is an expanded reissue of a super-limited EP initially released in 2017 by the mysterious Arizona collective Ascetic House. The new tracks ("Electric", "February", "Send Me A Vision", "Swing") were recorded during the initial sessions and are interwoven with the previous released tracks in a new sequence, not merely tacked onto the end. “Motion” sets the pace immediately, impeccably arranged EBM-BPM percussion, heavily gated drums, and murmured ethereal vocals. Each element is simple but impeccably and intuitively placed - just try to avoid moving while listening to this record. Title track “Country Girl” begins with moody, flanged synth pads cut through by an anxious bassline and muted claps. Black vinyl edition w/ printed insert.

• black vinyl pressing
• expanded edition includes 4 bonus tracks
• includes oversized insert
• music label: Nude Club 2019

reviewed by ESSAIE PAS 06/2019