Built around a distorted, driving bassline, ‘Told U So’ balances grungy heaviness with a surprisingly melodic edge. The guitars take centre stage during the verses, weaving around Chelsea’s sultry, smoky vocals, before the track erupts into explosive choruses packed with fuzz and distortion. The drums follow that same quiet-loud dynamic, shifting from a looser rhythm to heavy, pounding beats. Chelsea’s delivery moves effortlessly between melodic restraint and snarling defiance, adding another layer of tension to the arrangement.

There’s something wonderfully cathartic about the way GUSH translate that internal struggle into sound. Brooding yet fiercely defiant, ‘Told U So’ captures the spirit of classic alternative rock while showcasing the band’s increasingly confident songwriting. Even the striking cover artwork feels perfectly suited to its turbulent atmosphere.

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Rather than relying on sheer heaviness, Daisychain create a brooding atmosphere through distorted, grungy guitars, spacious drumming and haunting vocal harmonies. There’s a distinct Alice In Chains quality to the sound, particularly in its more restrained moments, where the eerie interplay between voices adds another layer of unease. The drums leave plenty of breathing room in the verses before becoming fuller in the choruses, while the guitars maintain a thick, atmospheric presence throughout.

What makes ‘Tar’ particularly effective is its refusal to build towards some grand cathartic release. Instead, the song remains suspended in its own oppressive atmosphere, mirroring the way grief can leave you feeling trapped and unable to move forward. It’s an unsettling yet sensitive piece of grunge-tinged psych-rock that allows its subject matter to shape every aspect of the sound.

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Beginning with a stripped-back arrangement of guitars and intimate vocals, ‘shadow’ gradually develops into a gloriously grungy slice of 90s alternative rock. Fuzzy, shoegaze-tinged guitars erupt during the choruses, accompanied by explosive drums and crashing cymbals, while shifting rhythms create an unpredictable momentum. Touches of cello add another layer of texture, recalling the raw, emotionally charged sound of Hole and PJ Harvey. brookelen’s effortlessly cool vocals move between fragile restraint and full-throated release.

The accompanying video brings the Icarus imagery to life, depicting brookelen as a fallen angel whose wings end up discarded among rubbish. Dreamy, blurred footage and sun-drenched outdoor scenes alternate with band performances, creating a distinctly 90s aesthetic. Together, the song and visuals explore the painful consequences of flying too close to something that ultimately burns.

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While previous releases have leaned into heavier punk territory, ‘fairies’ sinks into a softer 90s alternative-rock sound. Gentler passages sit alongside fuzzy, grunge-soaked choruses, while grooving drums steadily intensify through the bridge before erupting alongside the guitars. A low, dirty distorted bass emerges through the middle eight, adding further weight to an otherwise melancholic, floating backdrop.

That contrast makes BEX’s words particularly affecting. Her delivery can feel detached one moment and raw or defiant the next, allowing the emotion to surface without overwhelming the song. A homemade video intersperses live footage with candid behind-the-scenes moments, adding another layer of intimacy. ‘fairies’ doesn’t attempt to tidy painful experiences into an easy story of triumph; instead, it marks the moment BEX feels ready to tell that story at all.

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Dark, grunge-tinged guitars immediately command attention, bringing shades of Soundgarden and Alice In Chains to The Marches’ melodic rock sound, with the faintest trace of folk rock lurking around its edges. A recurring guitar riff helps hold the tension in place as the vocal moves convincingly from quiet confession towards something increasingly resolute. The arrangement gradually gathers weight before a satisfyingly expressive guitar solo provides its late-song payoff.

There’s no accompanying video, but ‘The Habit’ already conjures a suitably dark and moody world of its own. Rather than making its theme of repetition overly literal, The Marches allow the recurring riff and steadily building tension to suggest a cycle that’s difficult to escape. Heavy enough to hit hard but never sacrificing melody, it’s a strong glimpse of what Faultline has in store.

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Grungy guitars immediately take hold, driving a song that feels simultaneously explosive and strangely weighed down. The choruses erupt into distortion and cathartic harmonies, with Caitlin’s voice working beautifully alongside Rae and Jake’s, yet there’s still a dragging quality underneath – like trying to run in a dream and finding yourself wading through treacle. That uneasy push and pull makes the repetition of “we’ve been here before” feel particularly potent.

Shot in stark black and white, the accompanying video centres around a chaotic house party and mosh pit, yet there’s something curiously disconnected about the people within it. Knowing the circumstances surrounding the song changes the way those images land; beneath the noise and movement is an inescapable darkness. ‘March 16th’ hits hard, but it’s that lingering sense of unease that proves hardest to shake.

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The instrumentation grabs hold immediately, plunging headfirst into thick, fuzz-drenched grunge guitars before opening into choruses that land with serious weight. While the verses allow Eva May Beard’s dreamy vocal to drift across the surface, the choruses see her voice surge forward with commanding power, matching the intensity of the band’s crushing sound. It’s that push and pull between vulnerability and sheer force that gives ‘Chameleon’ its impact.

The accompanying video captures the song’s mood brilliantly, with its night-vision aesthetic creating an atmosphere that’s dark, claustrophobic and quietly unsettling. Together, the music and visuals conjure images of grimy underground venues, where pounding riffs reverberate through dimly lit rooms and every chorus feels like a collective release of energy. ‘Chameleon’ is a striking showcase of TNL VZN’s ability to make heaviness feel both emotionally charged and irresistibly immersive.

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From the opening moments, it’s impossible to ignore the track’s gloriously fuzzy bassline, which drives ‘Twinge’ forward with irresistible momentum. While grunge textures sit firmly at the song’s core, there are unmistakable post-punk and gothic influences woven throughout, from the atmospheric synth flourishes to Corr’s commanding vocal delivery, which evokes the spirit of Siouxsie Sioux without ever feeling derivative. Relentless drums and walls of guitar only heighten the song’s sense of urgency, creating a sound that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly immediate.

Despite its themes of rejection and emotional aftermath, ‘Twinge’ never wallows in heartbreak. Instead, it embraces the liberation that can come from letting go, transforming pain into movement and defiance. Soundtracking visions of blurred city lights and late-night drives, Tender Claws has crafted a track that feels as cinematic as it is cathartic, proving that sometimes the best way to process heartbreak is simply to turn the volume up and keep moving.

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Today Softcult also shares ‘16/25,’ a fearless song that confronts predatory older men who groom younger women, while exposing the double standards and impossible expectations placed on them by a patriarchal society. “It points out the cognitive dissonance men perpetuate while trying to possess and control younger women,” Mercedes says.

When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is a self-produced, self-recorded, and fiercely independent collection of songs that detail the journey from trauma to rebirth and transformation. Its title comes from a quote by Dutch author, Alexander Den Heijer: “when a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” For Mercedes, those words hit during one of the most pivotal moments of her life: ending a nine-year relationship, coming out as queer, and confronting the cycles of oppression she had been internalizing for years, despite being the one speaking out about empowerment.

“The person I portrayed myself to be on stage was not the same person making the decisions that governed my life,” she explains. “I was root bound. I was disappearing, shrinking, withering away… and I felt ashamed of it.”

As a result, the album is a conceptual work about the various stages of one’s internal metamorphosis; written from the perspective of someone who has been radicalized by trauma, empowered by their own resilience, and who ultimately heals and blossoms into the person they were always meant to be.

When A Flower Doesn’t Grow:

1. Intro
2. Pill To Swallow
3. Naive
4. 16/25
5. She Said, He Said
6. Hurt Me
7. I Held You Like Glass
8. Queen Of Nothing
9. Tired!
10. Not Sorry
11. When A Flower Doesn’t Grow

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Following the recent release of their searing shoegaze anthem ‘Pill To Swallow’ and the announcement that production on their highly anticipated debut full-length album is officially complete, Softcult return with ‘Naïve’-  a track that delves deep into disillusionment and emotional clarity.

Speaking about the song, the band explain, “It’s about coming to the painful realization that the person, idea, or reality we trusted and believed in never really existed in the first place. This song is about the moment the scales fall from our eyes after we realize we’ve been romanticising someone or the idea of someone. After this moment we’re no longer able to see them or the world as innocently as we did before.”

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