Uncanny observers of life's underbelly, Viagra Boys have also dedicated the past few years to personal growth. As ‘viagr aboys’ sharpens their surreal writing in a chaotic world, perhaps the idiosyncratic nature of the Swedes remains one of the few rational aspects left.
A few months back, Sebastian Murphy encountered a song on the radio that brought him to tears. While enjoying a midday Guinness in a secluded Manchester pub, hours before their late-night DJ performance at the city’s BBC 6 Music Festival, the heavily tattooed frontman of Viagra Boys struggles to recall its title: “That’s me in the corner… That’s me in the spotlight…” Though the Swedish sextet is known for their eccentric reputation, this heartfelt moment connected to R.E.M. was no accident. “I listened to ‘Losing My Religion’ every day for weeks, and it moved me to tears each time. I don't know why, but it resonates deeply with me,” Murphy shares, shaking his head, with the word ‘Lös’—Swedish for ‘loose’—permanently tattooed on his forehead. “Great music makes me cry. I’ve heard that song countless times, but when I heard it then, I thought, ‘That’s an exceptional track.’” Bassist Henry Höckert interjects, “That’s when you realize you’re getting older—when you start thinking, ‘R.E.M. has some really good songs…’”
Since their emergence in 2018 with the satirical, absurd listing of ‘Sports’ (“Volleyball / Beach ball / Surfboard / Baseballs…”), it seemed like the band defied the conventional passage of time. Over the seven years and three studio albums that followed—2018's ‘Street Worms’, 2021's ‘Welfare Jazz’, and last year's ‘Cave World’—the group has delved deeper into their unique path. Tapping into a lineage of wild outliers, from Iggy Pop and The Stooges to their own sonic evolution, Viagra Boys’ idea of refinement has always centered around authenticity rather than maturation: their vivid tales of cavemen and conspiracy theorists are becoming sharper and odder as they establish their distinct niche.
The last time DIY spoke with Murphy, he was deep in a reflective slump amidst a heavy festival schedule, discussing nihilism and a “total disdain for the world.” In the recent partially self-titled ‘viagr aboys’, he claims to have created—“probably”—his first record from a predominantly positive and content mental space. Coupling this with their new-found admiration for Michael Stipe, could it be that the unpredictable Swedes are, dare we say it, mellowing? “I’ve been mellowing out for a few years now. I feel like I've got a handle on who I am and what I want—and I’m going to achieve it!” he declares, his voice humorously rising at the last part like a politician. “Just joking… That part of me will never disappear, but I’m a bit more realistic now. I realize there are many things I can’t really deal with anymore. I’m turning into an old man,” he laughs. “At 35, I feel less youthful, and I think that's probably beneficial for me. I play squash weekly and try to hit the gym for my mental well-being, so I won’t be a jerk to everyone around me or myself. Yet, I still have a fondness for bizarre things. I’ll always be a freak.”
“That’s the truth,” Höckert agrees. “You’re always going to be who you are. Even if you quit drinking or don’t take drugs every day, you’ll forever be a weirdo.”
“I see myself as entertainment for the resistance.” - Sebastian Murphy
A listen to their recent single ‘The Bog Body’—a wildly surreal analysis of “jealousy in general” through the absurd lens of public sentiment toward a freshly unearthed, pickled woman—confirms that Viagra Boys remain true to their weirdness. “You say you hate the swamp woman / What are you even talking about? / Do you even know the difference between a swamp and an ancient bog?!” Murphy rails over punchy bass lines and soaring saxophones. A keen consumer of the more perplexing corners of pop culture, the frontman enjoys getting lost in internet rabbit holes. “I can get obsessed with some ridiculous topic for ages,” he sighs. “I was fixated on the Northwest Passage, where explorers sailed from Britain trying to navigate around America. I could mull over that for a year. Honestly, I should write a song about that voyage; there was plenty of cannibalism involved…”
On ‘viagr aboys’, Murphy targets a certain type of modern pseudo-spirituality. In ‘Pyramid Of Health’, they advise drinking tree
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Astute observers of life's darker side, Viagra Boys have dedicated recent years to personal growth. As 'viagr aboys' sharpens their bizarre narrative in a chaotic world, perhaps the peculiar style of the Swedes is one of the few rational things remaining.