CD of The Week

The shoegaze scene is having a moment, as numerous bands are delving into the hazy guitar tones of My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins’ echo-y vocals. However, many of the best bands of that era also wanted to rock out from time to time. Up-and-coming Canadian band Softcult deftly splits the difference on their full-length debut, When a Flower Doesn’t Grow, alternating between fuzzy melodies and crunchy grunge revivalism.

The Ontario-based twin sibling duo of Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn have been releasing singles and EPs for a few years now as Softcult, but When a Flower Doesn’t Grow is their proper debut record for the project. Previously, the pair were in the Canadian punk band Courage My Love before starting over under this new moniker.

“Pill to Swallow” was the first taste of WAFDG, full of melodic fuzzed-out goodness, as the Arn-Horn siblings attempt to crawl out from the bottom of darkness and depression. A easy highlight is the rocking, vicious “16/25,” a sadly extra-timely treatise on older men taking advantage of younger women, as the pair sing of a girl who “doesn't know how to love you” and “doesn't know how to drive.” And “She Said He Said” captures the horror of ‘nice guys’ turning ugly toward women, moving between Kim Gordon-esque spoken word verses and a roaring, angry chorus. The raging “Hurt Me” (with a chorus of “you can’t hurt me”) also seemingly takes on the nightmare of sexual abuse.

The lovely “I Held You Like Glass” tackles a complex relationship while the explosive “Tired” lets the Arn-Horns rage against the awfulness in the world, declaring they’re “tired of the exploitation / tired of the deprivation / tired of discrimination / tired of capitulation” and much more.

When a Flower Doesn’t Grow is a powerful statement from siblings with much to say and a captivating sonic palette to work with.

Listen to Softcult’s 2024 Y-Not Session On Demand.