Photo Credit: Kaylene Widdoes
Canadian band Softcult released their new EP Heaven last month via Easy Life Records, and what a great collection of tracks we have here from twins Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn. Although the Toronto-based duo have been releasing music since 2021, Heaven takes their writing to the next level in their development as musicians.
Opening track Haunt You Still has a Slowdive type shoegaze feel about it with some thought provoking lyrics: “In a fog, like a distant shadow/In your thoughts, like a poison arrow”. The dual vocals work perfectly on this track alongside the dreamy guitars. Latest single One Of The Pack verges on indie rock and was written as a celebration of women supporting women. The hooky guitar chords stay in your head long after the end of the song.
Spiraling Out is a track that wouldn’t sound of place in the 90s UK indie scene. The softer lyrics allow you to relax into the song and take in all the guitar riffs that you can sometimes miss with overpowering lyrics. The songs itself delves into mental health and anxiety and how easy it is to spiral out of control, a very big subject matter at the moment. 9 Circles is a reference to Dante’s Inferno Nine Circles Of Hell poetry with very deep lyrics: “I know you, I’ve seen you before/In a dream or a nightmare/Condemning myself to your circle of hell.” This is the type of track that can push an artist intellectually, while musically the synth intro fits in nicely with the dreamy lyrics and guitars once again.
Shortest Fuse was written around corporate greed and how we live in an unjust financial society. The keyboard backdrop on this track is addictive, working well alongside the dual vocals and grungy, 90s-inspired guitar work. As the EP draws to a close with Heaven, the 22 minutes 49 seconds have gone by in a flash – that’s what’s meant to happen when you’re really enjoying a piece of creative art, surely? The title track questions the very idea of what heaven even is: “You set me on fire/You fell down from heaven/And burned a hole in the Earth.” This is perhaps the most ‘shoegazey’ track on the EP, but it doesn’t strike us as a song to end proceedings – 9 Circles would have been more suited to that.
Overall, Heaven is an exciting addition to the Softcult catalogue and we would love to see the band release an album in the near future. The duo will be touring the USA throughout the summer with Californian band Present and have promised to return to the UK later in the year for more live dates. We await the announcement.
8/10
For Fans Of: Teenage Wrist, Slow Crush, Static Dress
Standout Tracks: Haunt You Still, 9 Circles, Heaven
Written by: Alan Brown
