Softcult Finally Blooms: A Dreamy, Heavy Record That Really Hits Home
Softcult’s debut full-length, “When A Flower Doesn’t Grow”, finally dropped on January 30th, and I honestly haven’t been able to stop spinning it. Moving past their EPs to a full album, the Canadian twins—Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn—have put together something that feels incredibly lush but also really defiant. The whole theme of the record is basically: if a flower isn’t growing, don’t blame the flower—look at the soil it’s planted in. It’s a message that feels more relevant than ever.
This is the Sound of Metamorphosis
Honestly, seeing this debut finally drop feels like watching a friend finally come into their own. I’ve been following the twins—Mercedes and Phoenix—through all those EPs, and this full-length record just feels different. It’s way more personal. Mercedes has been pretty open about how she wrote this while navigating a big breakup and just trying to figure out who she is now, and you can really hear that “internal metamorphosis” in every note. The fact that they produced this whole thing themselves in their home studio makes the emotional hits land even harder. It doesn’t feel like a polished studio product; it feels like their actual lives.
The music itself is such a vibe. They’ve managed to find this sweet spot where everything sounds super dreamy and lush, but it still has this gritty, alt-rock backbone that keeps it from feeling too light. It’s like they took that heavy shoegaze atmosphere and grounded it with lyrics that actually mean something. It’s a huge step up from their earlier stuff—it feels a lot more intentional and way more confident.
The Track You Need to Hear: "16/25"
If you only listen to one song to get what this band is about, make it “16/25.” It’s this trippy mix of bedroom pop and heavy grunge that hits you right in the chest. It’s a super brave track because it calls out predatory behavior and the way grooming gets ignored. When Mercedes sings, “She doesn’t know how to love you / She doesn’t know how to drive,” it’s actually heartbreaking. Her voice sounds so sweet, which makes the reality of the lyrics feel even heavier. It’s Softcult at their best—using beautiful music to say something that really needs to be said.
Processing the Heavy Stuff
The album doesn’t shy away from the dark parts of life. A track like “She Said, He Said” deals with gaslighting and trauma in a way that feels really raw—the vocals sound like they’re coming through a megaphone, and the ending is just this wall of noise that feels as chaotic as the subject matter. But then you get a song like “I Held You Like Glass,” which is probably the prettiest thing they’ve ever done. It’s got this total ’80s-goth-meets-modern-shoegaze feel, and it’s just stunning.
Even though the album talks about some pretty heavy topics like misogyny and heartbreak, it never feels like a total downer. By the time you get to the title track at the end, it feels like you’ve finally found some peace. The way the guitars just swell at the end feels like a giant exhale, like they’re finally healing.
Why This Record Matters
The connection between Mercedes and Phoenix is really what makes this work. The production and the vocals mesh is just seamless on this album. It feels like they’ve created this little world where they can be totally honest about their lives, and they’re inviting us in.
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is a massive win for the DIY scene. It’s for anyone who has ever felt stuck or like they weren’t “enough” because of the environment they were in. It’s a beautiful, brave record that reminds us we all deserve a place where we can finally bloom.
