Softcult - 'One Of The Pack'
Canadian grunge duo Softcult release their newest single, One of the Pack- a track filled to the brim in celebration of women supporting women.
Softcult (consisting of Mercedes (she/her) and Phoenix (they/them) Arn-Horn) have triumphed within the past year- having been nominated for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, already toured the US and Australia, opened for huge bands Incubus and MUSE, been featured in some of Spotify’s biggest playlists such as The Rock List, and even been featured on the cover of Spotify’s new MARROW playlist. It’s a no-brainer that the powerful twin duo are on the rise in the world of rock.
Their upcoming EP ‘Heaven’ (out May 24th) settles in at a cosy six tracks, with their new single One of the Pack fitting in at number two on the setlist. The track serves as the celebration anthem for women supporting women, come rain or come shine. Speaking on the topic, Mercedes and Phoenix said, “When we wrote this song, we wanted to celebrate women supporting women, and of course that includes POC and transgender women […] 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." In a world that can often be overwhelmed with hatred and uncertainty, bands like Softcult who are so openly welcoming to people from all backgrounds makes for a connected and loyal fanbase who are cheering each other on every step of the way.
With whining guitar riffs and heavy drums, the track throws us in headfirst without warning to Softcult’s melting pot of shoegaze, grunge, and pop. With the duo’s impressive ability to write, produce, engineer, direct, and edit all their songs and videos, this is about as DIY as it can get.
The vocals throughout manage to find a teetering balance between delicacy and aggressiveness. Softcult are quite literally shouting at us to not be afraid of being rebellious or unusual: "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”. With loud and distorted lyrics ‘Girl, if you need me/You know I’ve got your back/I hope when you see me/You know you’re one of the pack’ in the choruses, we can only imagine how therapeutic this will be to shout at the top of your lungs at a live show.
After a sweat-fest of just over two minutes, the track begins to drop in tempo, bringing the thudding drums and electric guitars into a grunge-soaked blend. The use of pure instrumental at this point gives us a grounding come down, eventually fading into a gentle humming as we are dropped back down to earth from the high energy choruses.
Softcult will be touring the US with Tallies, Seventh Dose, and Present in the US from June to July. They plan to return to the UK later on this year, so with that being said, gather anyone and everyone and start practicing your best lyric shouting!
Words by Cameron Cookson
