In the early '90s an underground feminist punk movement known as Riot Grrrl was born. Bands such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile led the charge musically, releasing songs with lyrics that covered everything from female empowerment and racism to anarchy and domestic abuse.
The bands that led the Riot Grrrl movement resonated with listeners and have influenced cascading generations of bands led by women. This includes groups like Momma, Mannequin Pussy, Amyl & The Sniffers and even Olivia Rodrigo. Their influences can all be traced to Riot Grrrl. And now we have a new group entering that realm: Softcult.
When a Flower Doesn’t Grow is Softcult’s debut album, and as far as debuts go it’s a strong offering. Imagine if you took the Riot Grrrl vibe and added My Bloody Valentine, Industrial Rock, Veruca Salt and mixed it all together. You’d have something resembling this LP.
After starting off the album with “Intro,” which is a lush piece of ambient songwriting, Softcult starts running with “Pill to Swallow.” The guitars are huge and the drums feel inspired by Animal from The Muppets. It's a great hook of a song. From there we enter heavy shoegaze territory with “Naïve,” which is quite possibly the most My Bloody Valentine sounding track on the album.
“16/25” follows “Naïve” and is my vote for strongest track on the record. It’s just over two and a half minutes long and it pummels the entire time. The drums sound like the second coming of Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails and the bass is the secret sauce that keeps it all together.
And, of course, with lyrics about a guy dating a girl who’s 16 and he’s 25 ... it's a pretty venomous track. Vocalist Mercedes Arn-Horn had some demons to exorcise in this song (and throughout the whole album).
The creepy guy vibes continue on “She Said, He Said,” which sounds almost like the logical continuation of “16/25,” but with some megaphone vocals and a great screaming chorus. It's a great one-two punch song combo bursting with anger in the best way possible.
When a Flower Doesn’t Grow never really lets up. “Hurt Me” enters Deftones territory. “I Held You Like Glass” is possibly where the album gets the prettiest, and is a great showcase for the singers' vocals.
The record ends with the title track, and by that point it’s clear that Softcult is a band worth paying attention to. This album has moments of extreme anger as well as extreme beauty. It’s an eclectic listen.
I can’t wait to hear what the band does next.
