Today, Boys’ Shorts release Come, featuring Michael Cignarale, which is the first clear signal of a much larger chapter. The single drops mid-tour, mid-motion, mid-sweat. They’ve just spent two nights in Sydney, and now they’re heading to Brisbane before looping back south. We caught up with them a few days ago, in that charged pause between soundcheck and takeoff, when everything feels ready but not yet revealed.
“It is actually an announcement of our first album coming in April” they say, framing Come as an entry point into their world. For them, music is “more a statement rather than a business plan,” shaped by queer spaces, connection and lived experience. What unfolds is not a break from the dance floor, but a widening of it, a move from pure club propulsion into something slower, more intimate, yet just as physical.
You put out an EP, Kiss Me Hard, in December. Did it close a chapter for you, or did it open another one?
Kiss Me Hard was the follow-up to our Handsome EP, which was released earlier in the year through the same label. The title track, Kiss Me Hard, got a lot of attention during our DJ sets, so we decided to release it on a new EP packed with remixes from producers we admire. So, it kind of closed a chapter, in the sense that we wanted to move a step further in terms of our artistry and showcase something more than just club music.
At that point, did you already sense that a larger project was starting to take shape, or did that clarity come later?
It’s something that came naturally with time. Music for us is an emotional outlet that shouldn’t have boundaries or rules. We never limited ourselves to a specific genre; we wanted to tell stories about how we see the world from our perspective and invite everyone on this journey.
Not long until Come will be out and with it the first public indication of something much larger. Does this release feel like an announcement, or more like a test?
It is actually an announcement of our first album coming in April, and we are very proud and excited at the same time. We chose this to be the first single and a taste of the album, as it captures what the Boys’ Shorts sound is and what we’ve had in mind since day one.
The track will be released as you begin your tour across Australia. What are you curious to discover about the track once it’s played night after night?
It's always really flattering to see people notice that the track they’re listening to or dancing to is a Boys’ Shorts track, so we’re really looking forward to testing it on the dance floor and seeing the reaction. We really think it’s a track that can be played everywhere. It had to be the right one to show the transition from club to easy listening, or at least to show what we have to say sonically.
Playing the same piece of music across different cities and rooms can change the way you hear it. How do live contexts feed back into your relationship with your own work?
That’s something we came across while touring the US, but also when doing festivals. Some tracks work better in small venues and some in bigger ones. Different cities and the way you build a set can also change the way you hear a track significantly.
Let’s talk about All Sorts. What kind of freedom does having your own imprint give you at this point?
It was the best way to release the album exactly the way we had in mind since we started working on it. We knew the tracks we wanted to include, the stories we wanted to tell, and the aesthetic we wanted to present with Bráulio Amado, who took care of the artwork. We knew we wouldn't want to compromise on any requested changes, and therefore, we took control of the project.
Does putting music out under your own name change the way you take risks, or the kind of risks you’re willing to take?
We actually like to make music that we enjoy ourselves first; if that has an impact on others, it’s more than welcome! Of course, it’s a risk if you have high expectations, but we always think of our music more as a statement rather than a business plan.
You’ve spoken about Come as an entry point into your world. How would you describe that world without using sound as a reference?
We have been lucky and blessed to travel around the world and see different cultures and communities. That has definitely opened our minds to the point that we love diversity and the inclusion of everyone who is respectful of human existence. We are going through weird times, and humanity seems to have lost its meaning; that’s why we must always protect what we have built as people.
The track nods to certain club histories, but it never feels like a throwback. How do you decide which elements of the past are worth carrying forward?
This somehow happens without it being a strategy. As we work on a track, we understand where it’s taking us; that’s the magic of creating without having anything in mind but your feelings. We both grew up with so many different influences, so it feels very natural to incorporate those into our music.
What did Michael Cignarale bring emotionally that the song was still missing before he stepped in?
The way Michael sings is breathtaking to us. We have always wanted to work with him. When the demo for Come was made, it was clear that this was the track we wanted him to sing on. We sent it to him and told him to do whatever he liked, as we were sure he would take the track to another level. The brilliance of his voice can drag you from the dance floor to euphoria.
As you move closer to unveiling the album, how do you balance wanting to protect the project with letting people in?
We’re so excited at this point that we want to share this with everyone and see how they perceive it. It’s pretty hard when you know it’s ready and just waiting to come out!
Without getting into details, what kind of emotional questions were you interested in exploring while working on the album?
All the things we question as queer people in our daily lives: connection, loneliness, love, politics, social media. These things affect every aspect of our lives, and we have to survive through them. There’s so much information out there that our minds aren't built to process it so fast. It’s sad to see the mind eat itself. People are going through depression and anxiety because it’s so hard to filter everything happening in the world on such a large scale.
You’ve spent years moving through queer dance floors, not just as DJs but as participants. How has that lived experience shaped your sense of care and responsibility as artists?
Things change and evolve. As we mentioned, queer spaces are places of inclusion, inspiration, and acceptance. They offer the ability to open your mind. Being able to be yourself freely without judgment is so liberating, and this is how our world should be.
Do you feel that sense of responsibility differently now than when you first started playing clubs?
We’re there to make people dance and enjoy themselves. We’re part of the ritual equally with the audience, so we try to make them experience something they may not have before and would hopefully enjoy. We love blending different genres and are so happy to see people being so receptive to this. There’s nothing nicer than someone coming up to tell you that you made their night.
There’s a patience to Come, a willingness to let things linger. Was slowing down something you had to learn?
Life is short and time flies. We have been patient and hard-working; we didn’t get here overnight. We both had our solo projects for years before we decided, during lockdown, to revisit the idea of doing something together. That period was so fluid, we didn’t even know what was coming the next day. We learned that patience is a virtue, but when you’re ready, you should go full force because you might not have the opportunity again.
You’ve worked together across time zones, cities, and long stretches of touring. How has that distance reshaped the way you trust each other creatively?
We’ve known each other for more than twenty years. Time and experience have built a strong connection of trust. That’s why Boys’ Shorts started taking shape at a very specific period of our lives when we both knew we were ready to take this friendship one step further. The only thing that can build walls between us is exhaustion from a long tour. In those cases, we take our space and meet again when we are ready.
Once the album is finally out in the world, how do you imagine celebrating that moment?
We’re planning something special but can’t reveal yet. But definitely want to have our close friends and loved ones to celebrate with!