LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been nearly three years since I first caught Patriarchy live—opening for Collapsing Scenery in 2022—and I’ve been locked in ever since. There’s something undeniably seductive about their strain of darkwave industrial rock: a kind of sensual depravity that isn’t just aesthetic—it’s elemental. With the release of “Boy on a Leash,” the first single from their upcoming Twin Shadow–produced LP Manual for Dying, Patriarchy have doubled down on everything that makes them essential: tension, texture, ferocity, and a flair for the theatrical.
The track is the first offering in what the LA duo are calling their Summer of Singles, a slow drip of new music that will culminate in a full-length album this September. But “Boy on a Leash” doesn’t feel like a warm-up—it feels like a climax. A sharpened industrial-pop banger forged through live performance and studio alchemy, the song captures the power of Actually Huizenga and AJ English at their most unhinged and unfiltered.
From the opening lines—“If you wanna keep your boy on a leash, / the strategy is catch and release”—the lyrics twist dominance into doctrine. It’s a song about control, lust, and loops you never quite break out of. The repeated “catch, catch, catch… release” mantra cycles like a ritual, until it erupts three-quarters of the way through with Actually’s guttural scream—a visceral release that cuts through Twin Shadow’s razor-sharp production.
And what a production it is. According to the band, Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) pulled from a live performance drum take—the same session that birthed Suffer With Me (Live in London)—to inject the track with raw, kinetic urgency. The result is both polished and primal: synths swirl, percussion snaps, and every sonic layer is built to support the drama.
Visually, the band’s trademark chaos is dialed in with a new kind of precision. Patriarchy directed the “Boy on a Leash” video themselves, running through full-throttle takes until red marks adorned their bodies. The imagery is rich with subtext: Actually’s real-life son (this is an assumption I am making, and has not been confirmed to my knowledge) appears, his piercing blue eyes serving as both mirror and witness. A subtle quick ass slap lands on the snare—yes, timed to perfection—and the overall aesthetic channels everything from BDSM ritualism to a dreamscape from the mind of David Lynch.
The band is set to tour Europe this summer, and if you’ve never seen them live, fix that. Because like the song says: “You’re not going anywhere, / until the rats come chew through the rope.” And after this one, I’m not going anywhere either.
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Patriarchy European Tour Dates:
21/05/25 – Stockholm, SE – Hus 7
22/05/25 – Dublin, IE – The Grand Social
23/05/25 – London, UK – Wide Awake Festival
24/05/25 – Prague, CZ – Bike Jesus
27/05/25 – Vienna, AT – Arena
29/05/25 – Freiburg, DE – Slow Club
30/05/25 – Aarau, CH – KiFF
31/05/25 – Messina, IT – Retronouveau
04/06/25 – Bordeaux, FR – IBOAT
05/06/25 – Paris, FR – Point Ephémère
06/06/25 – Utrecht, NL – dB´s
07/06/25 – Karlsruhe, DE – P8
08/06/25 – Leipzig, DE – Wave Gotik Treffen
06/08/25 – Berlin, DE – RSO
07/08/25 – Josefov Fortress, CZ – Brutal Assault Fest
08/08/25 – Munich, DE – Backstage
09/08/25 – Ancora, PT – Sonic Blast Fest
