Softcult, the duo of Toronto twins Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, became a Stereogum Band To Watch on the strength of their 2023 debut EP Year Of The Rat. Last year, they followed that EP with another one called Heaven, and they appeared on Split Chain's "(Re)-Extract" single. Softcult haven't announced their debut album yet, but they've apparently finished recording it. Right now, they're getting ready to head out on a North American tour, and they've got a new single out.
In grand Softcult fashion, the new song "Pill To Swallow" is a hazy but propulsive piece of dreamy rock. It's not dream-pop or shoegaze or bedroom-pop, exactly, but you could probably refer to it under any of those terms and nobody would laugh you out of the room. Here's what the duo says about the song:
"Pill To Swallow" is a rallying cry for everyone feeling particularly exhausted and burned out by the current state of the world. It’s a reminder to keep pushing for and believing in positive change. As impossible as it can feel sometimes, we can’t allow the current social and political climate to jade us. Even when we feel hopeless and disenfranchised, we can’t slip into apathy or we let the oppressors win.
Below, check out the Mercedes Arn-Horn-directed "Pill To Swallow" video and Softcult's upcoming tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
5/29 - Hamilton, ON @ Bridgeworks
5/30 - Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
5/31 - Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club
6/01 - Montreal, QC @ L'Escogriffe
6/03 - Guelph, ON @ Sonic Hall
6/04 - London, ON @ Rum Runner
6/06 - Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary
6/07 - Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
6/08 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's
6/10 - Nashville, TN @ The End
6/11 - Atlanta, GA @ Purgatory / Masquerade
6/13 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
6/14 - Orlando, FL @ Conduit
6/15 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
6/17 - Carrboro, NC @ Local 506
6/18 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
6/19 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
6/21 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
6/22 - Boston, MA @ The Middle East
11/17 - Berlin, Germany @ Badehaus *
11/18 - Cologne, Germany @ Helios37 *
11/19 - Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat *
11/20 - Paris, France @ Supersonic Records *
11/22 - Glasgow, UK @ King Tut's ^
11/23 - Newcastle, UK @ The Grove ^
11/24 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy 3 ^
11/25 - Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega ^
11/27 - Leeds, UK @ The Key Club ^
11/28 - Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach ^
11/39 - Southampton, UK @ The Joiners ^
12/01 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange ^
12/02 - London,UK @ The Dome ^
* with Glazyhaze
^ with She's Green
