EP review: Softcult – See You In The Dark

A stark contrast to the buoyant pop-rock on which they made their name in previous band Courage My Love, twin sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn’s latest project Softcult is an altogether more mature and accomplished beast. Burned by an industry in which the pair – as they explained in their recent Kerrang! Cover Story – experienced sexism and misogyny whilst still teenagers, Mercedes and Phoenix are taking their love of the ’90s riot grrrl movement and making it their own, mixing grunge, shoegaze and a smattering of their pop-rock past together to create something fresh.

See You In The Dark is, as its title suggests, a pretty bleak sounding affair. But despite the gloomy overtones, there’s much to love across these six tracks. Opener Drain is an excellent and atmospheric blend of grunge and shoegaze, with the music augmented by some gorgeous vocal melodies – a feat that is replicated throughout the entirety of the EP.

Somone2Me is another song where Softcult’s shoegazy stylings really come to the fore, but they mix things up for One Of A Million, a heartfelt, sombre pop song that features another brilliant vocal performance. On the face of it, it’s a very simple tune, but the layers and textures Mercedes and Phoenix add into the mix take the song into ethereal, otherworldly territory. Things sound a little brighter on the catchy Dress, but an irresistible air of sorrow remains to balance out the twinkly melodies.

It’s all very well put together, and the result is a record that suggests we’ll long be seeing Softcult shining bright in an industry where their existence is no longer shrouded in darkness.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Teenage Wrist, Slow Crush, Gleemer

See You In The Dark is released March 24 via Easy Life

Read this: Softcult: “In order for the world to change, there has to be some change within yourself”