Photo of Mercedes Arn-Horn of Softcult by Bryan J. Sutter
The Canadian grunge duo Softcult emerged out of the early days of the pandemic with two impossibly impressive releases, 2021’s Year of the Rat and 2022’s Year of the Snake. With a number of successful North American and overseas tours under their belt plus their recent EP Heaven, released this past May, they’ve accomplished quite a bit in record time. With their second visit to the Blueberry Hill Duck Room on July 22nd, it’s starting to look like there’s no stopping the Arn-Horn twins.
The evening started with a whirlwind performance from Bay area group Present. Singer/guitarist Alex Hunter has a voice that would not be out of place on a Slowdive or Catherine Wheel track, and Present are indeed another band carrying a flag for the ’90s shoegaze, alt-rock revival that has been going on for the last few years. It seems only natural that with the boom in boutique effect pedal makers, and the YouTube influencers that promote their wares, that we would eventually end up here. Thankfully, like most of the bands that could be mentioned in the same sentence as Present, they’re pretty good. Their new release Silver Lining is an inspiring bit of work—tracks like “Easy” and “Kill the Moth” were an absolute pleasure to see and hear live—and they’re definitely a band I will be keeping an eye on.
With vintage film footage projected onto a screen behind the drums, most of it looking to come from newsreels or similar sources, Softcult took their places on stage to quite a bit of excitement and then proceeded to deliver one of the tightest sets any in attendance will experience this year and what would be an absolute whirlwind of choice selections from the band’s catalog. While I may not personally enjoy Heaven as much as their previous output, it’s still pretty legit, and new songs like “Haunt You Still” and “One of the Pack” absolutely smashed live. Older songs like “Drain” and “Spit It Out” perhaps are still the best showcase of the band’s talent. This being my second time seeing the band live, I thought that I would maybe enjoy myself a bit less. I can say that wasn’t the case, as the band has only gotten tighter since March of last year. It was like getting a better version of a dish you already love.
While much has been written about Softcult’s grunge and shoegaze influences, I still find myself relating them to ’90s triphop group Sneaker Pimps, particularly when principal songwriter Chris Corner replaced Kelli Ali on vocal duties. The dark, sharp lyrics with Mercedes Arn-Horn’s powerful but melancholic delivery as well as the wide sonic territory covered by Mercedes herself and touring guitarist Brett McSwiggan on their Jazzmasters are fair points of comparison, though I admit it’s more vibes-based than academic.
Near the end of Softcult’s set, things slowed down for a minute as Mercedes spoke to the crowd. Many of Softcult’s songs contain lyrics that deal with social issues and inequality, with an emphasis on patriarchal violence and rape culture. With the intensity of their music, it is possible for some of their more pointed lyrics to not be interpreted as intended. It is understandable to take a moment and be clear what the band is about, what their views are, and to leave no confusion. Mercedes did just that, and there was no lack of conviction and passion in her voice. She praised the crowd for their attendance and support, and for, I’m going to grossly paraphrase here, basically being of the right mind and on the right side of things by being here, even somewhat implying attendance itself was a revolutionary act. I started to feel a little uneasy during this, and I remember feeling a similar way during a similar moment the last time I photographed Softcult at the Duck Room. While I hoped I was in a space of likeminded individuals, we were just that. Individuals. While some people in the crowd appeared to be friends or on a date, our deepest collective association was that we probably hold some similar social or political views but, ultimately, we all came here to consume the same thing.
That being said, I don’t begrudge Softcult or their message. It’s one thing to have a message, it’s another to actually make good music while expressing it, and Softcult certainly does not stumble there. There’s a lot of bullshit out there to be fed up with, and what bullshit they have in their sights they do not suffer lightly. My own journey with progressive thought started with the (International) Noise Conspiracy’s Survival Sickness over 20 years ago, and I hope that bands like Softcult continue forward for a long, long while. | Bryan J. Sutter
