Leave it to Canadian twin siblings Mercedes (she/her) and Phoenix (they/them) Arn-Horn –– aka Softcult –– to put a dark spin on falling in love. Today they share new single ‘Love Song’ which captures both the hopefulness of new love and the anxiety that often comes with it.
“This is an anxious love song,” Mercedes explains. “It’s about loving someone so intensely that you find yourself in constant fear of losing them. Sometimes love and happiness can feel like these unattainable things that are too good to be true. Once we’ve finally found something our hearts have been yearning for, it’s hard to shake the thought that we will inevitably have to let it go. But these gnawing thoughts can get in the way of us allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, or enjoying our relationships for fear that they won’t last.”
Watch the video for ‘Love Song’ HERE
“If we allow our anxieties to sabotage us, we risk ruining the love we’ve found before we’ve even had a chance to fully experience it.”
On the video Mercedes says, “We wanted the video to tell the story in a different way, focussing more on getting carried away with our own imaginations when it comes to falling in love. We filmed in a small legion hall and tried to make the ambiance a little depressing and mundane. Our main character is an elderly man who’s sort of given up hope. He’s there having a beer alone while everyone else is playing bingo. When he lays eyes on Gina, his co-star, he gets lost in fantasy, imagining not only the love they might have together but the type of person he could be if he had love in his life.”
Softcult are no strangers to keeping it real – their upcoming EP, see you in the dark, tackles some of life’s heaviest subject matters head-on. Out 24th March (pre-save here), the EP’s six tracks capture the sibling’s experiences with and innermost thoughts on sexual assault, self-awareness, climate change, and more.
New EP see you in the dark out next month and the title is inspired by Nietzsche’s famous quote: “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”.
“It is an analogy for the things we’re afraid to face. It represents confronting our innermost fears, usually in those vulnerable moments lying awake at night when our minds are racing. It’s sort of an acknowledgement of our darkness, and the darkness of others, like “hey, I see you”, Mercedes says.
“While it’s important to acknowledge our darkness, we also can’t submit to it. We have to strive to be better people, and leave behind a legacy of positive change. I think it’s important to do everything we can to try and make a positive impact on the world, even when that feels impossible. Because if we don’t at least try, who will?”
Seamlessly combining grunge, shoegaze, dream-pop, and punk, Canadian duo Softcult has quickly become leaders of a new Riot Grrrl movement for the digital age.
Born in the studio, they are building their own universe around their music with a message. With Phoenix running point on production, engineering, and artwork, Mercedes directing/editing their videos, and both writing astoundingly intimate lyrics about self-empowerment amidst social, political, and environmental collapse, the duo is about as DIY as it gets. They even create and produce their own zine called SCripture, currently on Vol. 24, and are active participants in their Softcult Discord server, a safe online community for their fans as recently spotlighted by Alt Press.
Over the course of the last two years, Softcult have released several EPs, garnering acclaim and buzz both in their home country of Canada and across the globe as well. They’ve been championed by artists like Hayley Williams and Oli Sykes, and have been highlighted as a band to watch by Alternative Press, Kerrang!, GAY Times, DIY, The Line Of Best Fit, and more.
As well as playing SXSW next month, they return to the UK/EU this April to be supported by Swim School on selected dates. Tickets on-sale now here.
see you in the dark
out 24th March 2023 via Easy Life Records
Pre-order HERE
