- 2024-05-28
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MUSIC
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Softcult Releases New EP “Heaven”
Canadian alt-rock duo Softcult consisting of twin siblings Phoenix Arn-Horn and Mercedes Arn-Horn, released their fourth EP “Heaven” on May 24, 2024 via Easy Life Records.
The EP comprises a 6-track, produced by Phoenix Arn-Horn.
The duo said of the EP, “This EP has an underlying theme, although the songs themselves may seem eclectic and wide ranging. We wanted to write about the contradictions within our society, what an ideal world looks like, and how close or far we are from achieving that reality. What is 'heaven' anyway? It probably depends on who you ask... Is heaven a reward? A place that we eventually go to if we play our cards right and live by a set list of rules while alive on this planet? Who makes those rules? How do those rules impact us? Maybe heaven isn’t a utopian destination for those who have been judged capriciously to be worthy of entry. Maybe our lives on this earth, currently, are more than a trivial test that guarantees an afterlife we can’t know exists."- They continued, “Maybe the sum of our lives is the legacy we leave behind, the change we make while we are alive, and the people we touch and the impact we make. Maybe we should be focusing more on making the world we inhabit a better place for humanity while we are alive, instead of wishing for a better place after we are gone. Maybe 'heaven' can be a place that exists on earth, in our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, while we are still here to experience it. Instead of fixating on what waits for us in the afterlife, maybe we should pay attention to what we have here on earth, because THAT, as far as we know, is the 'heaven' we will see.”
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The duo explained about some tracks for the EP.
“Haunt You Still”
“Maybe it’s a defence mechanism, but we tend to demonise the people we once held close once they’re out of our lives, and it’s not always warranted. It’s a reactive way of protecting ourselves. This song is an acknowledgement that when things don’t work out between two people, it’s not always one sole person in the wrong. Looking back on our past, we have to reflect on the parts we’ve played and the damage we may have unintentionally left behind. When those people think of us, do they look back fondly or has the chapter of their lives where we appeared become a painful memory?”
“One Of The Pack”
“When we wrote this song, we wanted to celebrate women supporting women, and of course that includes POC and transgender women. It’s sad that that’s something that I feel I need to specify and include in a statement like this, but the truth is there are some TERFs out there trying to exclude certain communities from feminism and even the term ‘woman.’ We pride ourselves on being intersectional feminists, even introducing riot grrrl feminism and activism to the shoegaze community in our own way, and we want anyone listening to our music to know that POC, trans women, and non-binary people will always be a welcome and crucial part of our grrrl gang.”
“Spiralling Out”
“Hopefully this song is one that lets other people who struggle with anxiety know that they aren’t alone and we can also relate to how they feel, and that they have the ability to step into their power and take it back.
We wrote this song about those times when we ruminate over a situation over and over again to no end. Sometimes it feels like there’s no amount of self-talk that can get us out of that spiral. It feels like everything is out of control and the world is like a carnival ride spinning all around us, but we are paralyzed and unable to step on or off.
Motion was a huge factor in the music video. I wanted to evoke the feeling of being pulled into an anxious spiral. I wanted to recreate the feeling of the world spinning out of control around you. We used any means of motion that we could find: a Merry-Go-Round that physically made us sick after filming, a carousel in Seattle on tour, etc. We actually gave ourselves motion sickness filming this video.”
“Shortest Fuse”
“Capitalism seems to be designed to keep underprivileged people toiling in a never ending cycle of debt and poverty where their labor is underpaid in order to profit their employers. The benefits of capitalism are rarely equally distributed, accruing wealth to a very small percentage of the population. Built on the notion of greed, benefitting only by paying workers less than what their labor is worth, it’s difficult to not become disenfranchised with capitalism when you exist in this reality and see no end in sight. We can’t become complicit in a system that is designed to keep us down.”
“Heaven”
“We wrote this song about overcoming dysmorphia and beginning to feel more at home in your own skin. Often the way other people see us isn’t how we see ourselves, and it’s hard to live in a body that doesn’t feel like ‘you.’ But when you feel seen by the people in your circle, it makes all the difference. This song describes a world where everyone is accepted for who they are, where one’s background or identity does not dictate how they are perceived by society, where privilege and advantages are recognized and shared to build stronger communities, and a society that celebrates diversity, difference, and otherness as strengths."
Photo by Kaylene Widdoes - source : Apple Music
