Softcult

Softcult is a Canadian shoegaze/grunge/dream pop duo from Ontario. Members: ** Vocals & Guitar: Mercedes Arn-Horn **Drums, Vocals & Production: Phoenix Arn-Horn Touring members: ** Lead Guitar: Brent McSwiggan (2022–present) ** Bass: Phil Hirst (2023–present) ** Bass: Oliver Burdett (2022–2023) History: 2020-2021: The beginnings Twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn (born 1994) grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and were home-schooled by their mother, an English teacher. Prior to forming Softcult, the Arn-Horn siblings were members of the pop-punk band Courage My Love, which released several EPs and two studio albums throughout the 2010s. Feeling creatively stifled by their record label, the Arn-Horn siblings decided to disband Courage My Love and begin a new project together in the summer of 2020 . The band chose the name "Softcult", which Mercedes Arn-Horn defined as "anything that you don’t really question where you follow your group of people", to represent the band's "social commentary". The band's debut single, "Another Bish", was released on January 15, 2021. 2021-2022: Year of the Rat and Year of the Snake EPs On April 16, 2021, Softcult released their first EP, Year of the Rat, through Easy Life Records. Year of the Rat was written and recorded during most of 2020 at the band's home studio in Kitchener, Ontario. The EP was produced and engineered by Phoenix Arn-Horn, and was mixed by Chris Perry. Owing to their negative experiences with their former label, Softcult were initially planning on self-releasing their music, until they were urged to sign with a label by their manager. ear of the Rat has been described as grunge, shoegaze and riot grrrl. Both Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn considers Year of the Rat to be less developed than the band's subsequent output. Speaking with Rock Sound in February 2022, Mercedes retrospectively described the EP as "dipping our toes in the water and seeing how it would go and how it felt", whilst Phoenix felt that the EP was primarily a homage to their musical influences. Mercedes felt that the EP's lyrics was primarily composed of "blanket statements about issues we were passionate about", and that it was less lyrically honed in than Softcult's later releases. The duo's second EP, Year of the Snake was released in February 2022 and "encompasses our feelings towards the cutthroat capitalist society we live in and the problems that need to be addressed". One of the EP's songs, "B.W.B.B.", was written in response to the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021. 2023-2025: First Europe tour, See You in the Dark & Heaven EPs Their third EP, See You in the Dark, was released on March 24, 2023, and was inspired by My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins. It was recorded in 2022 between their tours that year, and consists of material that was left off the duo's previous EP, Year of the Snake (2022). Although still containing elements of grunge, See You in the Dark is less musically heavy than the duo's prior output, with its more atmospheric sound being based in shoegaze and pop. As with most of Softcult's work, the EP's lyrics touch on a variety of personal and political subject matters, including toxic masculinity, trauma and insecurities. See You in the Dark received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its production, vocals and overall growth from Softcult's past releases. The EP received a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year award at the Juno Awards of 2024. Softcult embarked on an international tour in support of the EP throughout 2023 including being support for Movements on their European tour. See You in the Dark has been described as grunge, shoegaze and pop. Although featuring some of Softcult's darkest lyrical themes yet, See You in the Dark is less musically aggressive than their previous works, with Kerrang! noting, "their fury is veiled in a dreamy, atmospheric sound." The EP was recorded in 2022 at Softcult's home studio in Kitchener, Ontario, in between their tours that year. It was produced and engineered by Phoenix Arn-Horn, and was mixed by Chris Perry. The EP's material was written around the same time as their second EP, Year of the Snake (2022), but the Arn-Horn siblings ultimately opted to leave them off of the release. "We don’t like waiting too long in between releases to put something out, so I think there was a little pressure to just keep writing while we still felt inspired and not take a break", Phoenix has said; "I feel like after putting out our first two EPs, we were ready to try some new things and really push ourselves to go out of the box." The EP received a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year award at the Juno Awards of 2024. On May 24, 2024, the band released their fourth EP, Heaven. "On Heaven, they bring the focus on how people who are concerned with what waits for them in the afterlife should bring themselves back down to Earth and concentrate on the here-and-now of living rather than the to-be-confirmed of dying. A six-track release, they open with the first single release of ‘Haunt You Still’. A smooth, eerie-feeling track which brilliantly captures both Arn-Horn siblings’ strength; combining Mercedes’ soft and deep vocals with the professional and clean production at the hands of Phoenix. It’s a great sneak-peek of what was to come, and an ideal introduction to what is being set up to be a novel of an EP." (Jo Cosgrove for When the horn blows). 2025-present: Extensive touring and first album "When a Flower Doesn't Grow" In winter 2025, they embarked on their first headliner tour in Europe. In January 2026 they will release their first full album "When a Flower Doesn't Grow". Musical style and influences: The duo are known for their melding of grunge with shoegaze, as well as their DIY and riot grrrl-inspired ethics. Softcult have been described as grunge, alternative rock, lo-fi and shoegaze. The Arn-Horn siblings were inspired by the 1990s riot grrrl culture, and have cited Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Pussy Riot as formative influences on the band. They cited My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (1991), Slowdive's Souvlaki (1993), Swervedriver's Mezcal Head (1993) and Deftones' White Pony (2000) as influences on their fourth EP Heaven. Citing Bikini Kill as a major influence, the band takes the ethos of the riot grrrl movement and mixes it with shoegaze, grunge, and dreampop influences. Squarely feminist, the music addresses endemic issues of abuse, assault, harassment, misogyny, and social and gender norms as well as mental health. The band name is a call for awareness. “We chose Softcult because this band is all about social commentary.”, says Mercedes. “A soft cult could be anything from a church, a government, a family, a band even. It’s anything that you don’t really question where you follow your group of people. We’re all in soft cults in society that we don’t realize we’re a part of, we’re just willing participants because it’s a normalized thing at this point. It can sound a little harsh but it’s also meant to make you question which soft cults are you a part of.” Since February 2021, Softcult has published a monthly zine, SCripture. which discusses environmental, social and political issues. The zine was directly inspired by 1990s riot grrrl culture, and features a black-and-white aesthetic inspired by Raymond Pettibon. Phoenix says that the zine "kind of [reinforces] the message behind [their] songs." Discography: Albums: 2026.01.30 - When a Flower Doesn't Grow EPs: 2021.04.16 - Year Of The Rat 2022.02.04 - Year Of The Snake 2023.03.24 - See You in the Dark 2023.09.05 - Softcult on Audiotree Live (Live EP) 2024.05.24 - Heaven EP compilation albums: 2022.09.30 - Zodiac EPs (Compilation of Year of the Rat & Year of the Snake EPs) 2023.05.12 - Dark Zodiac (Compilation of Year of the Rat, Year of the Snake & See You In The Dark EPs; Japan release) 2025.05.02 - See You In Heaven (Compilation of See You in the Dark & Heaven EPs) Singles: 2022.02.11 - HONEY (LUNA AURA feat. Softcult) [REMIX] 2024.09.17 - Re-extract (Split Chain, Softcult) 2025.01.24 - Realize (Remix) (feat. Trxy! & whatsaheart) 2025.07.30 - Can you see it (feat. Wayside) https://www.softcult.band/ https://softcult.orcd.co/ https://softcult.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/softcultband/ https://www.tiktok.com/@softcultband https://www.youtube.com/@Softcultband .