Album Review: Softcult - 'When A Flower Doesn’t Grow'
Following a string of critically acclaimed EPs throughout the 2020s, it was time for Canadian duo Softcult to finally bring an album into the world. The musical siblings have released their debut full-length, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, and after many years of non-stop writing, recording, touring and playing, it’s the right time and the right place.
Based upon a quote co-vocalist Mercedes Arn-Horn found one moment in time, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is full of tough and somewhat taboo themes. Staring into the eyes of oppression, hatred, and forced conformity, the Arn-Horn siblings confronted all of these societal faults and worked through it with the help of their artful talents. And the result was this eleven-track statement.
Following from a soft yet eerie introductory piece, ‘Pill To Swallow’ is both a dark look at the pitfalls of society while also calling to stay strong and resilient. With lyrics such as, “Don’t give in / Bend until you finally break” contrasting with ones such as, “No more promises of better days”, it gives a real and relatable view of navigating an environment in downfall. It’s the moments of hopefulness, followed with the moments of hopelessness, and repeat. Being at the bottom of it all, looking up and watching while unable to help or fix any of it, is a feeling so complex yet so common in recent times. With a soft gloomy sound behind every word, it adds to this confusing contrast of believing in change but not believing it will happen - an artistic choice that has paid off for the twosome, and this will not be for the last time.
‘16/25’ is one of the most obviously themed tracks on the record. Telling a story of an older man being romantically involved with a younger girl - their ages being the namesake of the song - it portrays how this is an event that is normalised but should not be something that society is used to or in any way supports. With eye-opening lyrics in the chorus such as the lines, “She doesn’t know how to love you / She doesn’t know how to drive”, it hammers home the truth that everyone needs to confront and not let lie. If that doesn’t do it, then Arn-Horn demanding, “for once, just act your age” must do it.
As the record plays on, it eventually reaches its natural end with its title track. A softer track, “When A Flower Doesn’t Grow” focuses on the background of the quote. The origins of the quote come from the fact that when a flower fails to grow, the owner improves its environment rather than works to improve the flower, as the flower is not at fault for its lack of nurture. The same logic can apply to human beings: no one is inherently flawed, they just need to be in the right environment that will allow them to flourish and thrive. The message is that anyone who feels wrong, broken, or stuck are not feeling so due to any defections they believe or have been told they own. This is due to their environment; their country, their town, their society and sometimes their own peers. Being somewhere supportive and positive will bring out their true selves, their happier selves, and that is all Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn want for themselves, each other, and every person walking among the planet.
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is a self-help book set to lo-fi grunge and punk rhythms, and the messages held within the record should be taken seriously by every person who chooses to give it a spin. Take it from the very start to the very end, and there will be an epiphany waiting on the other side.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
