Viagra Boys is a Swedish post-punk band formed in Stockholm in 2015. The line-up currently consists of lead singer Sebastian Murphy alongside musicians Linus Hillborg (guitar), Elias Jungqvist (keyboards), Henrik "Benke" Höckert (bass), Tor Sjödén (drums), and Oskar Carls (saxophone). The band's lyrics are known for using satire and dark humour.
History
Viagra Boys was formed in Stockholm in 2015 by members active in other bands such as Nine, Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes, Nitad, and Neu-Ronz. Lead singer Sebastian Murphy is the only foreign-born member of the group, being an American from San Rafael, California, who moved to Stockholm to live with his aunt at the age of 17. Born to a Swedish mother and an American father, Murphy is a native speaker of both Swedish and English. A heavy drug and alcohol addict at the time, Murphy worked as a tattoo artist and met the other band members while performing Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together" at a karaoke night. Murphy is the chief lyricist of the band.
In 2018, the band released their debut album, Street Worms, on the Swedish independent label Year0001. Nils Hansson of Dagens Nyheter described the band favorably, praising their musical style as well as their use of black humor and satire, and rated the album 5/5. In 2019, the band won the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) Album of the Year Award for Street Worms.
The band's second album, Welfare Jazz, was released in January 2021. In October of that same year, founding member and guitarist Benjamin Vallé died at the age of 47. While he appeared on Welfare Jazz, he was not an active member of the band at the time of his death. A deluxe edition of Welfare Jazz released in 2022, featuring new album art and seven new tracks.
Viagra Boys' third studio album, Cave World, was released in July 2022. The band played at multiple festivals in 2022, including Coachella and Primavera Sound, and performed at Glastonbury in 2023. While touring in support of Cave World, they recorded a concert film during their February 23, 2023 show at The Salt Shed, which was later streamed and released for free on YouTube. Viagra Boys won the Swedish Grammis award for Rock of the Year in 2023, and supported Queens of the Stone Age during their North American tour that same year.
In January 2025, Viagra Boys announced Viagr Aboys, which was released on 25 April via their newly launched label Shrimptech Enterprises. That year they also embarked on the infinite anxiety tour in support of the album, playing shows across Europe, North America, Oceania, and Japan. The tour included the band's biggest shows to-date, including performances at Alexandra Palace in London and Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
Musical style
Much of the band's lyrics focus on ridiculing hypermasculinity, far-right politics, and conspiracy theories. Speaking of his lyrics, Murphy said "Half of it is an act, and half of it is like a diary in a way. I don't do it consciously, but subconsciously it becomes satire of myself and others".
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