If Crash, Blade Runner and Saw somehow had a child in the form of a music video, they’d get something close to Boy Harsher’s Hard Beat. Mysterious, highly cinematic, unsettling but also sexy, the band’s new self-directed video introduces the second single ahead of their new album, Get Mean, set to release 18 September.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about liminal spaces thanks to horror cinema phenomena like Backrooms. But we mustn’t forget about less complicated ones like highways (a no-place where people drive to go from point A to point B), or even those that terrified us years ago, like those Saw-esque terrifying rooms where people were physically and mentally abused and tortured to atone for their sins. This body horror, which takes us to David Cronenberg or more modern filmmakers like Julia Ducournau, permeates Boy Harsher’s new song. “There's a crash, and I’m mistaken / I can’t speak, and my eyes won’t close / Never asked you to save me / I feel high when the lights are low,” they sing in the second verse.
But, hey, let’s not get too intense. Because Boy Harsher’s Hard Beat isn’t just about horror; it’s also about freedom, partying, hedonism, and letting go. “Strangers pass and see my eyes glow / Take the wheel, I’ve lost control.” So, just like them, let someone else take control for a little while. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!