I’ve never heard of the band Boy Harsher — the darkwave/new industrial duo of vocalist/lyricist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller — but their music is the inspiration for this 40-minute film, which goes along with their new concept album, The Runner, set for release on January 21 (preorder here or order from their Big Cartel page).

There was also a limited edition drone pedal that went with this, but that’s sold out.

Written, directed and produced by the band, it has performances by King Woman’s Kris Esfandiari, FlucT’s Sigrid Lauren, and Lucy’s Cooper Handy. It’s the story of a woman (Esfandiari) traveling to a secluded town where her violent compulsions are slowly revealed. At the same time, Boy Harsher performs on a public access channel and their music provides a sinister undertone to the woman’s descent deeper into darkness.

This short film definitely has style to spare and a look that recalls 80s direct to video erotic thrillers mixed with no small amount of blood. It also has somewhat of a making-of mixed in, which is pretty intrigiuing. It definitely did its job, making me research the band and take notice of them.

The Runner is streaming this month on Shudder.

You can learn more about Boy Harsher on their official site.