Photo by Nathaniel Jerome

“I was living in a ‘small town,’ trying to understand my life and attempting to find freedom from the pressure of being ‘anyone.’” Jae Matthews says of “Jeans”, the first new glimpse into the future of Boy Harsher since 2022’s companion album to their 2022 short film, The Runner. “Meanwhile, Gus was chasing his aspirations in the Big Apple. We were both seeking our dreams in polar ways… and in this cheeky way, ‘Jeans’ speaks on that quest through our commodification of a dream.”

Of the two, I get where Matthews is coming from. Quite literally, in fact, if she’s talking about her days living in Western Massachusetts — the forgotten and underrated half of the Baystate where true individuality is best cultivated in its stretches of college and art towns with quaint communities and yet, ample space between yourself and your neighbors. The opportunities out there are a thing of luck, however, and it can also leave you under deep spells of wondering what else is out there. But it’s beautiful when it works out in your favor.

She and Mueller pull off (or is on?) the best of both worlds regardless in their redesign of dark denim synth-pop to dance to. Mueller’s big city sophisticate are repped in the listen’s alluring sparkle whereas Matthews’ apparitions long for something bigger from its touches of rustic waning pedal steel. “That’s life / Living in a small town / Gave it all up / Just to sell jeans,” she breathes. Here’s hoping that exhale is one of finding what she’s looking for wherever she’s found herself today…

Directed by: Boy Harsher

Boy Harsher’s “Jeans” single is available now on Nude Club.