Last month, Softcult announced their highly anticipated debut album When A Flower Doesn’t Grow. So far the Montreal duo has shared the singles "Pill To Swallow," "Naive," and “16/25,” and now they're back with "She Said, He Said."
"It's known that sexual assault cases are historically under-reported, and most victims don't come forward of fear of being accused of lying," Mercedes Arn-Horn explains of the song, continuing:
When survivors do come forward they are all too often blamed for encouraging the situation that led to the assault in the first place. Myths and bogus claims aiming to dismiss allegations of assault perpetuate misinformation that leads to mistrust and suspicion of survivors when they decide to share their stories. This contributes to the silencing of survivors, enabling predators to continue with their mistreatment while escaping accountability. This song tells a story that is all too familiar; the "nice guy" that coerces and pressures his victim instead of asking for consent.
About the accompanying music video, she adds:
We chose an interrogation room setting to capture the feeling of "making a case" for our truth to be heard and believed. We included some Easter eggs referencing other videos from this album cycle, which represent a common theme of patriarchal oppression and abuse. The clues displayed as evidence on the interrogation room table lead directly to the anonymous male characters in other videos ("Naive," "16/25"). However, the detective fails to make the connection, blinded by patriarchal bias, and instead casts suspicion and classically blames the victim.
Watch below.
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is out 1/30 via Easy Life Records.
