The Ontario-based twins, Mercedes (she/her) and Phoenix (they/them) Arn-Horn, have built a reputation for saying the stuff everyone else is too afraid to even consider. When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is their most unapologetic, impactful collection yet; an 11-track mission statement with as much fire as it has heart.

Today, Softcult drops an album standout, ‘Queen of Nothing’––a grungy confrontation of the crushing weight society places on women, revealing how these pressures manifest on both personal and systemic levels.

Mercedes explains: “This song is about the double standards, harsh judgements, and unrealistic expectations that patriarchal society places on women. We’re expected to be sexy, but only as it applies to the male fantasy; somehow a virgin and a slut. We’re expected to constantly nurture the men in our lives, and shamed if our aspirations exceed becoming wives and mothers. The world demands maturity from us, but discards us when we’re old and ‘unfuckable,’ our value reduced to our ability to attract men. And when we attract men, we’re labeled ‘whores.’ We’re expected to be “cool” and “like one of the guys”, but not too abrasive, loud, or “unladylike.” Our intelligence and our success is tolerated so long as it isn’t too threatening or intimidating to our male counterparts.

“From unconscious biases to blatant sexism, misogyny and gender violence, women face an impossible amount of discrimination in the world today. And no matter the amount of vitriol or ignorance we endure, we’re still expected to smile. This song is about the realization that these cycles of abuse are bigger than our personal experiences. It’s recognizing the systemic nature of mistreatment and discrimination.”

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Softcult is the kind of band with something to say and every intention of saying it with their full chest. “She Said, He Said” is no different as the twins tackle a culture of misogynistic skepticism in this new song about believing survivors of assault.

Mercedes explains: “it’s known that sexual assault cases are historically under-reported, and most victims don’t come forward of fear of being accused of lying. When survivors do come forward they are all too often blamed for encouraging the situation that led to the assault in the first place. Myths and bogus claims aiming to dismiss allegations of assault perpetuate misinformation that leads to mistrust and suspicion of survivors when they decide to share their stories. This contributes to the silencing of survivors, enabling predators to continue with their mistreatment while escaping accountability. This song tells a story that is all too familiar; the ‘nice guy’ that coerces and pressures his victim instead of asking for consent.”

As she does with all their videos, Mercedes wrote / produced / directed the video for ‘She Said, He Said,’ weaving clues and easter eggs from past videos (‘Naive,’ ‘16/25″) to represent a common theme of patriarchal oppression and abuse.

Mercedes explains: “We chose an interrogation room setting to capture the feeling of ‘making a case’ for our truth to be heard and believed. We included some Easter eggs referencing other videos from this album cycle, which represent a common theme of patriarchal oppression and abuse. The clues displayed as evidence on the interrogation room table lead directly to the anonymous male characters in other videos (Naive, 16/25). However, the detective fails to make the connection, blinded by patriarchal bias, and instead casts suspicion and classically blames the victim.”

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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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The track is peak Softcult––a searing, shoegaze anthem that confronts our world’s most uncomfortable truths with an almost-eerie clarity. At their core, this is a band with something to say and every intention of it saying it loud.

The band says of the track: “‘Pill To Swallow’ is a rallying cry for everyone feeling particularly exhausted and burned out by the current state of the world. It’s a reminder to keep pushing for and believing in positive change. As impossible as it can feel sometimes, we can’t allow the current social and political climate to jade us. Even when we feel hopeless and disenfranchised, we can’t slip into apathy or we let the oppressors win.”

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Along with news of the signing, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are excited to be releasing a deluxe edition of their critically acclaimed debut album I Love You. Aptly titled I Love You Too, the extended version of the LP will be released on September 20 via their new partnership with Mom + Pop Music and will feature three brand new songs, ‘Please Me,’ ‘we thought it would be a good time but it was a bad time,’ and new single ‘Dull’ feat. Canadian ‘riotgaze’ twin sibling duo Softcult.

‘Dull (feat. Softcult)’ is intensely warm and melodic, and thematically a companion-song of sorts to ‘I Used To Be Fun.’ On ‘Dull’ Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers take the more challenging route of sitting still with your own thoughts, rather than working overtime to keep busy in a thinly veiled bid to distract yourself from them. The band’s Anna Ryan shares, “’Dull’ has similar themes to ‘I Used To Be Fun.’ We had been talking about how it feels to not have that motivation like we used to, to go out and party, and that it’s often harder to sit with yourself and be alone with your thoughts rather than just distracting yourself with thing after thing! The lyrics ‘find it hard to take it slow, burning out and now it’s shows’ really resonates with me and I think it’s like coming to terms with the fact that distracting yourself constantly is unsustainable. It’s good to learn to just sit with stuff and take it frikken easy!!” On collaborating with Softcult – aka the Ontario, Canada-based grunge duo made up of twin sisters Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn – the band says, “We’ve been fans of Soltcult from afar for a long time, when they said they were keen to record some parts for the song we were stoked! We are SO happy with how it turned out.”

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Leicester-born, London-based Shivani Day releases her debut single, ‘Rhetoric’ via FAMM. Laying fresh roots into untouched soil, ‘Rhetoric’ was co-produced by Shivani and close collaborator Minas who weave traditional South Asian musical forms into textured elements of Electronica and R&B. Having discovered her moral compass at an early age, the creative process encouraged Shivani to re-visit early memories to inspire themes of identity, equality and integrity. The Erea Ferreiro(Ojerime, Odeal) directed video resembles ‘Rhetoric’ according to Shivani’s vision – and her initial mood board – with subtle nods to her heritage, from styling details to a mesmerising snake which is an integral symbol in Indian mythology. Dedicated to conquering her self-inflicted limitations, Shivani intends to let her carefully curated soundscape speak for her inner thoughts.

Directed by Maegan Houang, Mitski‘s ‘Star’ video feels timeless, and like a modern film by famed Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi boiled down to its most abstract elements. “Unlike the more narrative/concept driven videos Mitski and I have done together in the past, I wanted this video to encapsulate the impressionistic circularity we all experience. Our lives oscillate between light and dark repeating itself in an endless cycle where nothing is permanent. The best moments are fleeting, but so are the bad,” states Houang. The ‘Star’ video was filmed on a small pond overnight in summer 2023 and presents Mitski performing on a boat in real water amongst painted pieces of wood, creating the illusion of mountains in the background and eliciting what Houang describes as “an otherworldly, atmospheric feeling” to perfectly match the song. Mitski and Houang have a history of collaborating.

Glaswegian alternative indie-pop artist Zoe Graham shares new single ‘Evilin’ – a brass-backed journey of confusion created by a person who’s no good for you. Guitars curdle with plush synths and tautly machined drums, as Zoe draws influence from Kate Bush (she shares a knack for catch-you-off-guard choruses with the ‘80s icon), St Vincent (Daddy’s Home was a regular backing sound during writing sessions), and Beck (“he’s very free as a songwriter; everything’s thought through, but it’s not painstaking”). She leans on David Bowie’s advice not to stay grounded in your deep pool of ideas, but rather to push up and off, and let your toes just brush the floor from time to time. “’Evilin’ is a battle cry” says Zoe. “It reads like a reenactment of how it feels to be purposely confused. Evilin is a channeller of emotional exhaustion. Someone you feel like you depend on and feel scared of all at once. Someone you will put before yourself, and not in a fun way. She isn’t good for you, but there’s something about her you wish you could be more of yourself, a determined independence, relentlessness but a lack of empathy.” The track is accompanied by a video starring Evilin (played by Zoe’s mum, Annette Staines), a cook and 70s star who becomes trapped in her own television show. “Imagine if Fanny Cradock and Killing Eve’s Villanelle were forced into a room together to make a prim and proper cooking show. What would that look like? How would the chaos ensue? How would these two ferocious women work with each other? Well, I knew I was going to be involved, but the only way I was really ever going to create such drama, such stylish feist, was to call my mother and ask her to star in my music video.” said Zoe. “Watching your own mother smash up cakes and jelly soundtracked to my new single, using rolling pins and spatulas as props was utterly wild. It may have been the strangest day of 2024 so far.”

The Brooklyn-born, LA-based singer Zsela has spent the early years of this decade popping up all over the cooler corners of the music industry. Her debut album Big For You, coming this June via Mexican Summer, includes contributions from Marc Ribot, Nick Hakim, Casey MQ, and Jasper Marsalis (Slauson Malone 1), and Zsela’s co-produced it with Daniel Aged and Gabe Wax, who’ve worked with names like Frank Ocean and Soccer Mommy. Zsela teased the album last month with the release of the fizzy, funky, sophisticated synth track ‘Fire Excape.’ Now, along with the proper announcement, comes opening track ‘Lily Of The Nile.’ It’s a slow-burn art-pop song that makes abundant use of Zsela’s low bellow, and it arrives with a video directed by Chester Raj Anand. A statement from Zsela: “It was important for me to stay open in this process, finding the truth of what the songs want to be. That meant breaking them down and building them back up again and again, not being precious and trying to listen… At the heart, it touches on the causal versus intentional dance we play between being “full of you” and “full for you” — the complexity and magnitude of the space we take and fill up for love.” [via Stereogum]

Hayley Mary has returned with a new single and a music video ‘One Last Drag’, which is a pop song about glorifying self-awareness. The song is co-written and co-produced by Hayley’s husband who also happens to be the DMA’s guitarist, Johnny Took. They happened to write the song in a hotel room! The song is also co-produced by the producer of The Jezabels’, Lachlan Mitchell. “I was sitting on the balcony with a wine, borderline chain-smoking, knowing that I would be regretting the cigarettes in the morning but unable to stop. He started looping a guitar intro that he was working on for Gwen Stefani and I just started writing a poem to it in my head. I asked him if I could record it so I wouldn’t forget it, and those draft vocals ended up being the final vocals you hear in the verses.” explains Hayley Mary. The song is a dark post-punk banger that talks about cigarettes and addiction. The cigarette in the song portrays anything that looks or feels good at the moment, but eventually ruins one’s life. It talks about how addiction is harmful to everyone. “I fell for the excitement, the promise of relief, of sexy malaise when real life was too high definition. In recent years, however, I’ve become aware of the potential emptiness of that promise as well,” says Hayley. [via Music Feeds]

Grab your roller skates, baby, Bonnie McKee has news. She’s ramping up to release a new album and trying to steal your man (but only musically and jokingly). In her latest single, ‘Jenny’s Got a Boyfriend,’ she gets campy, sassy and dancey as she falls for your boyfriend in a gender-swapped take on the ’80s hit ‘Jessie’s Girl.’ “I’ve always wanted to write a song that had someone’s name in it like ‘Jessie’s Girl’ or ‘Hey Mickey’ or ‘Billie Jean,’ McKee tells PAPER. “I had this experience because I had a friend who had a boyfriend who was just such a flirt. He was incredibly hot and he knew it. He was always giving me the wrong idea. Not just me, me and all of the girlfriends in the group. We were all convinced that he had a secret crush on all of us. Nothing ever happened. He was such a rake, I guess is what they call him, and I wrote a song about it. Then me and my girlfriends would bop around in the car to it.” The visuals for ‘Jenny’s Got a Boyfriend,’ are a neon, retro, skating-rink fantasy. “I’ve always wanted to do a skating music video, I can skate but I’m not like amazing,” she says. “I’ve always been obsessed with Boogie Nights and Xanadu. I love the ’70s and ’80s roller skating style — the whole aesthetic of that. The song feels like a roller Boogie moment.” In the video, McKee’s part of a “love triangle between Jenny and Jenny’s boyfriend” as they all work together at the rink. “I needed to have some story I could tell that made sense,” she says. “So it seemed like a workplace romance made the most sense. I just put us in little uniforms, and we were in the roller rink after hours. And things get spicy. I love that.” [via PAPER]

Bristol-based artist Emily Perry – AKA Pem has announced her forthcoming EP, cloud work, alongside the new single, ‘grips’. On the new single, Pem says: “A song about wanting to hold on tightly to other people to escape and “forget” everything else for a while. It is inspired by my favourite song ‘Forget About’ by Sybille Baier.” cloud work is a collection of five songs that Pem wrote during an intensely challenging chapter in her life. Full of references to water, sky, flight, memory, and birds, these are the metaphors and symbols that helped her work through the grief of losing her father last year. She says, “the process of creating cloud work enabled me to find beauty, meaning and comfort in a very difficult time.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Softcult share a final preview of their blissful EP with ‘One Of The Pack,’ a fuzzy inclusionary anthem that depicts their idea of Heaven as one that champions ALL women. Mercedes and Phoenix explain: “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. This song is hopefully one you can sing to your best friend to let them know; ‘I know you have to deal with a lot of bullshit from other people, but I will always be here for you. I see you, I’ll support you, and I love you.’”

This is already an iconic Eurovision collaboration: Aiko (Czechia 2024) and TEYA (Austria 2023, as part of Teya and Salena) have released a song together. In the song ‘Hunger’, Aiko and TEYA sing about the experience of feeling like you need to have a certain body to fit in with societal standards. For women in particular, they address the pressure to appeal to the male gaze. With this powerful message, they show that women are taught from an early age to eat less so they can fit in, seeing their bodies as the enemy, hence the title ‘Hunger’. In the video, you can see them walk on treadmills, emphasising this point as well. It is a great song with an important message, and yet it is catchy at the same time! Aiko and TEYA did a great job by combining their songwriting skills. [via ESCXTRA]

In November 2022, Christine And The Queens released Redcar les adorables étoiles, which was followed by PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE in June 2023. Now, the French musician is back with a new song called ‘rentrez chez moi.’ ‘rentrez chez moi’ was written, composed, and produced by Chris. The music video was directed by Sasha Mongin, produced by Premier Cri, and shot in Paris and Hanches. [via Stereogum]

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‘Spiralling Out’ is one of the EP’s more delicate moments – a sheer and heady track about anxiety. “We wrote this song about those times when we ruminate over a situation over and over again to no end” the band offer. “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.

“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.”

On the video, Mercedes of Softcult said “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.”

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Mercedes (she/her) and Phoenix (they/them) Arn-Horn dedicate their creative forces to storytelling with a purpose; across their young but lush discography, the two tackle issues most are afraid to even comment on. As a result, they’ve built this intricate, self-sustaining universe around their art that stands for something bigger than any one of us alone.

Of the inspiration behind the new track, Softcult comment: “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.”

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Ethereal and crushingly-heavy in equal parts, the dense swathes of sound on ‘Heaven’ evoke the claustrophobia of body dysmorphia and swells with optimism for better times.

The band comment: “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 that idealistic utopian future that we hope can one day become a reality; a world where everyone is accepted for who they are, where everyone has equal opportunity, where one’s background or identity does no 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.”

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