Canadian riotgazers Softcult channel their feminist rage into some of their most effective songwriting yet on cathartic debut, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow.
Softcult might fly the flag for feminism, resistance and community onstage every night, but lately, they’ve become conscious that oppression can warp them and shrink them as much as anyone else. It culminated in vocalist-guitarist Mercedes Arn-Horn leaving her nine-year relationship and coming out as queer, knowing she could no longer be inauthentic to herself.
This is the genesis of the Ontario riotgazers’ debut album, where the personal and political are more tightly conjoined than ever, all as a result of living under a system that doesn’t want them flourishing.
Mercedes and twin sibling Phoenix dropped four EPs before writing a full-length, but the slow journey has paid off when they’re executing some of their most effective songwriting to date. The hazy, swirling sound is as beautiful as ever – see the silken Pill To Swallow and the gossamer-like I Held You Like Glass – but this time, they’ve spun it into more impactful shapes.
Take standout track 16/25, which possesses a rhythmic, roiling undercurrent and a chilly atmosphere befitting their icy fury at young men grooming even younger girls – ‘She doesn’t know how to love you / She doesn’t know how to drive.’ Meanwhile, the coiled tension of She Said, He Said’s spoken-word verses amplifies the insidiousness of standing by perpetrators of sexual assault. ‘Now it’s her word against his / But he’s your friend so you’ve gotta take his side,’ Mercedes says with a hint of menace. ‘I mean, he’s such a “nice guy”.’
They get louder and noisier than they have in the past, too. Hurt Me’s quiet, curdling verses detailing the insidiousness of abuse detonate into a discordant chorus, as if to mirror the way someone bottling up their trauma suddenly lashes out. Tired! is a 75-second cyclone of scuzz and frustration at exploitation, discrimination and every other consequence of a social order that serves almost nobody, and both offer a cathartic expansion on the sound Softcult have spent years polishing.
Ultimately, Softcult are one of the most unique-sounding protest bands around, not to mention one of the most passionate. More so than ever, they’re unafraid to make anyone listening uncomfortable. There’s solace to be found for those who believe in their causes, but for those less aware, this might bring them new insight into just how fraught existence can be when you don’t fit a certain mould.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: NOTHING, Mannequin Pussy, Wisp
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is out now via Easy Life.
