Why I Like It:
I've been following the works of Canadian twins Mercedes Arn-Horn and Phoenix Arn-Horn for sometime now. They started out as a punk outfit, called Courage My Love, around 2011 with songs like "I Sell Comics" and "Bridges" being great bangers. Then they shifted to more indie-pop around 2017 and started producing and self-releasing their own music (still under Courage My Love). Songs like "Teenagers" and "Harlequin Romance" are great examples to look into. At this point they were heavily compared to the other Canadian twin duo Tegan and Sarah, since both bands shifted their music from rock to pop. However, Mercedes and Phoenix did a hard pivot and started a new music group called Softcult in 2021.
This music was darker and heavier, leaning into more grunge and shoegaze sounds (Riot Grrrl shoegaze in their words). However you can hear some tinges of their Courage My Love sounds peppered in as well. This, in my opinion, is them at their best. You can tell this a project they are pouring all their passion and creativity into. The experience of Mercedes and Phoenix being in bands for 13 plus years is evident in See You in The Dark. The production and mixing sounds like it came from a professional record label to me (with my very novice knowledge of music production). Then there's the lyrics that covers deeply personal subject matter to the artists. I condone them for being so open about their experiences. The subject matter and music are perfect matches. The song "Drain" is definitely going to end up in my Spotify Wrapped this year, I'm already calling it.
Highly recommend checking out Softcult and their other band Courage My Love, if you want to hear more from this talented group!
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Highlighted song and lyrics:
Drain-"Why should we dare to live forever/ If nobody cares to change for the better?"
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Similar bands to check out:
Fleshwater, Soft Blue Shimmer, Bully, Dilly Dally
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Reviews and links to check out:
Peer Pleasure Podcast- Interview with Mercedes
Thesoundboardreviews.com- Review
The Pitch of Discontent Podcast- Influences for See You In The Dark
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