Softcult

Softcult is a Canadian shoegaze, grunge and dream pop duo from Ontario, formed in 2020 by twin siblings Mercedes Arn-Horn and Phoenix Arn-Horn, who grew up in Toronto and were home-schooled by their mother, an English teacher. Before starting Softcult, they play in the pop-punk band Courage My Love, which releases several EPs and two studio albums during the 2010s. After becoming dissatisfied with their record label, they end Courage My Love and begin Softcult as a new project in summer 2020.

Members

Mercedes Arn-Horn handles vocals and guitar, while Phoenix Arn-Horn performs drums, vocals and production. Touring members include Brent McSwiggan on lead guitar and Phil Hirst on bass; Oliver Burdett also plays bass as a former touring member.

Style and themes

The band combines grunge, shoegaze and alternative rock with riot grrrl influences and DIY ethics. Their music also draws on dream pop and lo-fi elements. Influences cited by the band include Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Pussy Riot, and they also reference My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Swervedriver and Deftones. Their lyrics focus on feminism, abuse, assault, harassment, misogyny, social and gender norms, trauma, insecurities and mental health.

Name and publication

The name Softcult is intended as a comment on social conformity and group behaviour. Since February 2021, the band publishes a monthly zine called SCripture, which covers environmental, social and political issues and uses a black-and-white visual style inspired by Raymond Pettibon.

Releases

The debut single is “Another Bish”, released in January 2021. The first EP, Year of the Rat, appears in April 2021 on Easy Life Records and is written and recorded during 2020 at the band’s home studio in Kitchener, Ontario, with Phoenix Arn-Horn producing and engineering and Chris Perry mixing. The second EP, Year of the Snake, follows in February 2022, and includes “B.W.B.B.”, written in response to the murder of Sarah Everard. The third EP, See You in the Dark, arrives in March 2023, drawing on the influence of My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins and using material left off Year of the Snake. A live EP, Softcult on Audiotree Live, is issued in September 2023. The fourth EP, Heaven, follows in May 2024, and later material is collected on See You in Heaven in 2025.

Recognition and later activity

See You in the Dark receives a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2024 Juno Awards. Softcult tours internationally in support of the EP in 2023, including as support for Movements on their European tour, and then plays their first European headliner tour in winter 2025. The band’s first album, When a Flower Doesn’t Grow, is scheduled for release in January 2026.