Viagra Boys

Viagra Boys is a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm in 2015.^[1][2][3][4] The line-up currently consists of lead singer Sebastian Murphy alongside musicians Linus Hillborg (guitar), Elias Jungqvist (keyboards), Henrik Höckert (bass), Tor Sjödén (drums), and Oskar Carls (saxophone). The band's lyrics are known for using satire and dark humour to criticise hypermasculinity and far-right conspiracy theories.^[5][6]

Viagra Boys
Viagra Boys performing in March 2019
Background information
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Post-punk art punk dance-punk garage punk cowpunk
Years active	2015–present
Labels	YEAR0001 Kosmos Push My Buttons
Members	Sebastian Murphy Oskar Carls Henrik Höckert Tor Sjödén Elias Jungqvist Linus Hillborg
Past members	Benjamin Vallé Martin Ehrencrona Rasmus Booberg
Website	www.vboysstockholm.com

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.^[7] 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.^[7] Murphy is the chief songwriter 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.^[8] In 2019, the band won the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) Album of the Year Award for Street Worms.^[9]

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.^[10][11] A deluxe edition of Welfare Jazz released in 2022, featuring new album art and seven new tracks.^[12]

Viagra Boys' third studio album, Cave World, was released in July 2022.^[13][14] The band played at multiple festivals in 2022, including Coachella and Primavera Sound,^[12][15] and performed at Glastonbury in 2023. 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.^[16][17]

Viagra Boys performing at PlanB Malmö, Sweden

In January 2025, Viagra Boys announced Viagr Aboys, which was released on 25 April via their newly launched label Shrimptech Enterprises.^[18]

Lyrical themes

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".^[19]

Members

Current members

• Sebastian Murphy – lead vocals (2015–present)
• Henrik Höckert – bass guitar (2015–present), backing vocals (2021–present)
• Tor Sjödén – drums (2015–present), backing vocals (2021–present)
• Oskar Carls – saxophone, flute (2015–present), guitar (2017–present)
• Elias Jungqvist – keyboards, percussion (2019–present), backing vocals (2021–present)
• Linus Hillborg – guitar, backing vocals (2021–present)

Former members

• Benjamin Vallé – guitar (2015–2021; died 2021)
• Martin Ehrencrona – keyboards, synthesizer (2015–2019)
• Rasmus Booberg – percussion, guitar (2015–2017)

Former touring musicians

• Henrik Palm – guitar (2022–2023; substitute for Linus Hillborg)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

• Street Worms (2018)
• Welfare Jazz (2021)
• Cave World (2022)
• Viagr Aboys (2025)

Extended plays

• Consistency of Energy (2016)
• Call of the Wild (2017)
• Common Sense (2020)

Live albums

• Shrimp Sessions (2019)
• Shrimp Sessions 2 (2021)

Singles

• "Sports" (2018)
• "Just Like You" (2018)
• "Ain't Nice" (2020)
• "Creatures" (2020)
• "In Spite of Ourselves" (with Amy Taylor) (2020)
• "Girls & Boys" (2021)
• "Ain't No Thief" (2022)
• "Troglodyte" (2022)
• "Punk Rock Loser" (2022)
• "Big Boy" (with Jason Williamson) (2022)
• "Man Made of Meat" (2025)
• "Uno II" (2025)
• “The Bog Body” (2025)

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and director

Year	Title	Album	Director(s)
2015	"Research Chemicals"	Consistency of Energy - EP
2018	"Sports"	Street Worms	Simon Jung[20]
2019	"Just Like You"		Simon Jung[21]
2020	"Ain't Nice"	Welfare Jazz	SNASK[22]
2020	"Creatures"		SNASK[23]
2020	"In Spite of Ourselves"		André Jofré[24]
2022	"Ain't no Thief"	Cave World	SNASK[25]
2022	"Punk Rock Loser"		SNASK[26]
2022	"Big Boy"		André Jofré[27]
2023	"Troglodyte"		Cissi Efraimsson[28]
2025	"Man Made of Meat"	Viagr Aboys	Daniel Björkman[29]
2025	"Uno II"		André Jofré & Sebastian Murphy[30]
2025	"The Bog Body"		Eoin Glaister[31]