The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Every Tuesday, the Sounding Board is a space for a short-ish review of a recent-ish release and conversations about new-to-you music. We’ll get things started with a write-up about a newer, likely under-heard album, and invite you to share your music musings in the comments.
Softcult’s members are good at making music, which is fortunate in light of the Canadian duo’s decision to write, record and release songs across a handful of EPs and a solid new debut album.1 However, twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn, who comprise Softcult, are even better at all of the other stuff that 2026 requires of a fledgling rock band.
Their project has a memorable name with unique styling that makes it surprisingly search engine-friendly. They’ve embraced a consistently pleasing, albeit slightly trite, aesthetic for their releases, using high-contrast grayscale images with heavy grain for album art. Their website, Softcult.Band, includes a page dedicated to the cleverly named SCripture Zine — readers are encouraged to get a “subSCription” — as well as links to the usual social media spots. Across those platforms, their bio is the same single made-up word, “riotgaze.”2
While riotgaze is a kind of clumsy portmanteau, it is an instructive shoutout to the fuzzy guitars and fiery women of yesteryear that clearly had a profound influence on When a Flower Doesn’t Grow. While genre gatekeepers are certain to point out the LP lacks the full-blast sonic squall of the best shoegaze albums and the insightful fury of riot grrrl’s canon, but that criticism misses the point. Sofctult may be a bit too immediately melodic and smidge too frictionless to meet the classic definitions of riot grrrl or shoegaze, but the Ann-Horns take clear steps to emulate and propagate the sound and spirit of both genres. They might struggle to nail the perfect ratio of their twin influences, but they’re evident and, most importantly, enjoyable across When a Flower Doesn’t Grow‘s 11 tracks.
The shoegaze side of the equation is crystal clear almost immediately. The album opens with an instrumental track heavy on ambient hum before rolling into “Pill to Swallow,” which features the sort of dreamy effects-drenched vocals and swooning guitar that are hallmarks of shoegaze. It also includes the most adventurous sounds on the album in the form of strobing blasts of tremolo effect. Those seem like a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, but are a fun, wobbly time in headphones. “I Held You Like a Glass,” which gradually gains momentum before hurdling skyward thanks to some high-flying guitar, is also a standout.
Softcult’s nods to riot grrrl mostly come in the form of defiant, acerbic lyrics. In the middle third of the LP, these are often delivered in strident, tag-team shout that conjures a welcome intensity. The targets of Softcult’s ire — in ascending order of awful, the other party in a tough breakup, scene creeps, sexual predators — have been thoroughly dressed down across decades of noisy music. However, all of those people still suck so there remains plenty of joy to be had in hearing new voices tear into subjects who range from annoying to absolutely abhorrent.
Musically and lyrically, When a Flower Doesn’t Grow is a proudly derivative album, and that pride is well placed. Softcult’s members have good taste and functioning moral compasses, and they’re put to fine use of their debut album. Those instincts plus the vision and drive indicated by all the ancillary stuff the duo already nails suggest something more ambitious — and original — could lay in wait.
About the writer
Ben Hohenstatt
Ben Hohenstatt is an Alaska-based dog owner who moonlights as a music writer and photographer.
For more information, consult your local library or with parental permission visit his website.
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The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Department of
Conversation
What did we watch?
The Kids In The Hall, Season Five, Episode Three
“Thank you, ladies, for the great sex!”
Amazing how well Buddy works in silent film.
“Say hello to your male slave!”
“Oh! It looks like someone thinks that life can go on just as before! That’s when trouble happens!”
“Bad 1950’s homosexual stereotype!”
“Maybe if you spent more time playing with your slave and less time playing with yourself, he wouldn’t feel compelled to act out in such an anti-social manner.”
“I’m the only guy I know who doesn’t like you!”
“And how many of you think about Richard Nixon when you’re having sex? Okay, I guess that’s just me.”
“Now, honestly, what’s the better tasting meat: Por-eef, or this dark cola.”
“Ma’am, do I come to your job and jump up and down on the end of the bed?”
“I don’t get it.”
“I dated someone bi once, she was very nice.”
“I find sexual inadequacy so sexy.”
“Wow, you are a modern woman.”
“Modern and realistic.”
The Pitt – S1E12 is pure Shield in the frenetic pace of the response to a mass shooting, getting to see everyone at their best and most professional (Gloria is On This Shit, the first time you see her and Robby working completely in tandem), and some pitch-black humor, like the guy who faked an injury to snap pictures. Everything is horror and bodies in disrepair – one doctor nearly slips on blood – and it will not stop. Ownage: Santos getting this asshole and dropping his phone in a blood bucket. Victoria’s “Read the FUCKING room, Mom!”
Yes! I love the disaster movie effect here of seeing everyone act under (even more heightened) stress. I liked the whole season, but those last few episodes are my favorite stretch.
Primal, “Prey for the Wicked”
I did not imagine this reunion happening until much closer to the end of the season (and I was actually a bit afraid that it wouldn’t happen at all, and that maybe so much time had passed that Fang and Mira would be dead). As it is, putting it at the end of the episode is a genuine heart-in-throat cliffhanger: will they see the zombie Spear as truly Spear, returned to them even if in a damaged and altered form? Or will they see him as a tragic horror? That’s an ambiguous roar.
Inside No. 9, “Private View”
A slasher movie in miniature, set at an unusual new art exhibit. The final cap on it all didn’t work for me at all–the seemingly impossible logistics of it were immediately at the forefront of my mind–but the bulk of the episode is fun, if not necessarily more than fun. A lot of genre affection here that’s particular in its details, like the black giallo gloves on the killer; there’s a bit near the end that made me, a John Kramer-hater, feel very seen. Quite a few good jokes.
Also rewatched “Sardines” and “Cold Comfort” and delighted in noticing details in both that I’d missed before (also read the script for “Sardines,” since you can buy the collected script books for this).
Fang and Mira’s domestic life is fascinating. Seeing them bond even further during Mira’s pregnancy is heartwarming, and it reminds me of Spear’s joy when he found out Fang was pregnant in Season 2. I’d forgotten how awesome Fang’s kids were, too.
I also expected the reunion to happen much later in the season. This could go in any number of horrifying ways (even accounting for the expectation set by the final shot of Season 2, anticipating that most everyone here will survive into the future; maybe?).
And it just now occurred to me that Mira and Fang’s motherhood is contrasted with the big mutant wolf/pig and her offspring here.
Fang’s kids wanting to volunteer for the request and Fang having none of it was such an adorable beat.
Good call on the wolf/pig contrasting with “our” families: it’s a much more parasitical and exploitative relationship (the children take all the hunting risks and are only then allowed to feed from the mother they’re sustaining).
The Practice, “Man and Superman” – Jimmy takes the case of a man in an mental institution who thinks he’s Superman and accidentally killed someone when he leapt from a window. This really has no business working. It’s kind of silly, dopey, and cartoony. But a lot of things make it work. It’s a Jimmy episode, so we get the best actor and more heartfelt character. The trial has the widow of the victim suing the hospital and not the man but his wife (as the claim is she told the poor guy she wanted a divorce, leading to him trying to commit suicide), and then the wife suing the hospital, so a trial with three lawyers and three closing arguments. That’s different. Kevin Dunn plays our Superman, and really strikes a good balance between someone who earnestly imagines he can fly and help people and a broken man who cannot bear to lose his wife and who wants to go home. And this definitely trades on what everyone at home knows about Superman, and his status in our culture. Dunn wears a homemade Superman suit, with a 30s style S, and that somehow feels right.
There is also a second minor plot involving Bobby and Lindsey looking for a babysitter for their barely mentioned infant son, and Bobby not being supportive enough, only after not liking the case, he helps out with something. When asked why, he says he is not at all what compelled him, but he felt some connection. Was this an in joke since at the time Dylan McDermott was one of the 40 or so actors connected to whatever the next Superman movie would be? Who knows?
Nouvelle Vague – perhaps not the deepest film in Richard Linklater’s filmography but I was completely charmed by it. I’ve only seen Breathless once and was a little mixed on it but this made me curious to revisit, while also functioning as an unusual hang-out movie that happens to be vaguely based in fact. Godard is a pretentious arsehole in a way that reminded me, oddly, of Marty Supreme – “I would never want to hang out with this guy but he’s annoyingly determined and a hell of a lot of fun to watch”, I guess. The actors portraying Seberg and Belmondo totally nail the assignment. Shame that Varda and Demy only turn up for a few seconds, somebody should make a spin-off movie in the same style about them.
What did we listen to?
Been on a classical kick. Sometimes you just need Bach.
Finished the Big Finish Dr Who program “The One Doctor.” They made a huge mistake in the sound effects for how a blob creature might sound, and it was close to unintelligible. Really not good for a radio play. One of the writers was Gareth Roberts, who would eventually write for the revived show before saying some very transphobic stuff and being fired.
More adventures in musicals: Road Show, the last Sondheim musical produced when he was alive and went through 2 other titles (Wise Guys, Bounce), several directors (including Hal Prince, Sam Mendes, and finally John Doyle, to end up Off-Broadway with mixed reviews. You can see why. The story centers on the Mizner Brothers, who are fascinating dudes: Addison was a brilliant architect and raconteur who built most of the houses in Palm Springs and Boca Raton*, while Wilson (Willie) was a gambler, grifter, boxing manager, and Broadway playwright. Addison was seemingly a nice guy while his brother was charismatic and a manipulative bastard, and both embody the American Dream. But the music, maybe because the book is by the same writer John Weidman, is shockingly derivative of Assassins (opener “Waste” has nearly the same melody as “Everybody’s Got The Right”, possibly backwards) and has nothing new to say about America, capitalism, etc. This simply doesn’t go anywhere new for Stephen. Well, except one thing – this has his first truly queer love song, “You Are The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me,” a duet between Addison and his lover Hollis, and it feels autobiographical given how late in life he found love.
*I even stayed in the hotel he built in Sea Island, The Cloister, before it was demolished in 2003, and it was an objectively cool building.
Listened to Heathers’ West End production which is quite good though I am not really a pop-rock musical guy most of the time. Highlights include “I Love My Dead Gay Son” and the genuinely romantic and menacing “Our Love Is God.” Not a musical, but nevertheless, Nixon in China is a pretty cool opera, mixing minimalist composition styles with epic arias.
I listened to Tusk all the way through and talk about a band’s “difficult” response to their previous success; excellent record and the title song, so menacing yet anthemic, genuinely does not feel like anything that was on pop radio before 1979 or probably after.
I’m sure there’s a lot here that deserves a “fuck yeah,” but I’ll stick with what I know and say, “Fuck yeah, Heathers.” Especially “Our Love Is God.”
Yeah, think the only real duds are “Big Fun” and “You’re Welcome.” Lawrence O’Keefe is good at the kind of romance and cognitive dissonance in “Our Love Is God,” same with “Dance With Me Darling” in Bat Boy.
1001 Albums, etc. – probably the last few for a while as I always get involved in a songwriting challenge in February so that’ll be my main listening focus.
The Replacements – Let It Be: one of those bands I feel I SHOULD love, but have never quite gotten there. They’ve got some great songs and I enjoy their general vibe but I’ve never clicked with a full album. Still good, obviously.
The Style Council – Café Bleu: I like that Paul Weller tried something completely different post-Jam, but I can’t say that it really works for me at all. There’s some cool synth stuff on display here occasionally but for the most part it’s just not my thing.
Tina Turner – Private Dancer: really nice crisp 80s pop-rock production, I hadn’t heard “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” in an oddly long time and it’s a pretty perfect song, was surprised by the consistent strength of this album to be honest.
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Screen Drafts – Paul W.S. Anderson and Brad Anderson episodes were both great fun, very interesting that some deep cuts ranked very high for Brad (I’ve only seen Happy Accidents, which I LOVE, and The Machinist). On the PTA episode now and they’ve already dumped two of my favourites in the bottom 3 so I don’t think I’m going to have as much fun here. I get that it’s very hard to rank a director where basically every film is beloved but still… they are doing a bad job.
Blank Check, No Other Choice – too much recap, not enough digressions. They liked the film a lot more than I did but also got a few things mixed up in the plot even though they’d seen it more times than I had so I got a bit annoyed at this one, although it was basically still a good listen. I can’t really be bothered with the Lynne Ramsay series, I know that’s going to have a similar thing going on where they insist her films are great and the three I’ve seen didn’t do a lot for me honestly.
Should I be embarrassed to admit that I never heard of Lynne Ramsay?
I don’t know, probably not? A few of her films have felt like fairly Big Deals but she traffics in the kind of feel-bad cinema that I struggle to get on board with, I feel bad enough already! I liked You Were Never Really Here well enough but didn’t care for Die My Love and when I saw Morvern Callar a million years ago I hated it, but it was even further out of my comfort zone at that point than it would be now.
Feel bad cinema? No thanks. But that does sound like Griffin’s bag.
Oh Let It Be is an all-timer for me but I am the kind of born loser, scrappy punk/rock guy the ‘Mats were made for. Even saw them live at Boston Calling during their reunion.
Have you checked out Pleased to Meet Me? That was my first Replacements record and the only one that clicked all the way
Shaking Hand – Shaking Hand: This charming self-titled slowcore album came out in the middle of last month, and I’ve been listening to it on and off since then.
Ronker – Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever: I loved the title, because I own an old, sick dog with admirable hustle and all art is about that when your staring the doggie reaper down, but this one lost me almost immediately. I’m not usually hardset against screamed vocals, but the style repelled me. Folks who have a taste for something a little more aggro might enjoy it though.
I saw Shaking Hand last year and was really impressed, enjoyed the album too although I haven’t really gone back to it yet after my initial listen. Nice to hear a new band with some lesser-heard influences, in a world where 85% of new bands seem to be post-punk for some reason.
Lol even I am tired of “every band wants to be The Fall without reading any books.”
The guy who runs one of the DIY venues here actually put out a kinda matchmaking post trying to get people to form new post-punk bands to enlarge the pool for support slots. Diversify man, diversify!!
Which version of Let It Be did you listen to? There was a deluxe edition releases last year that I really liked. I dunno if it was an upgrade because I’m so used to the old sound, but it strikes closer to the power pop the Replacements clearly loved.
I think the first five songs that open the album are probably the best stretch in the Replacements’ discography. I particularly admire the decision to follow the madcap medical weirdness of “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out” with “Androgynous,” which remains gorgeous in both music and sentiment.
It’s a little heretical, but I’ve never been keen on the Kiss cover, “Black Diamond.” I think “Gary’s Got a Boner” is the only straight up bad song on the LP,.and if doesn’t really work at any level, but wrapping up with “Answering Machine” makes the whole thing feel a little more intentional.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a full listen through, but I think of Pleased to Meet Me as being their most cohesive long-player, but Let It Be is the best collection of songs. Not sure that would be what makes the Mats click, but it’s never a bad time to listen to “Alex Chilton.”
I think it was the deluxe edition, although while listening for this project I tend to skip the bonus tracks and just concentrate on the original track listing. Definitely sounded good! And Androgynous is great for sure. I can’t really remember what else I’ve heard in the past but I could definitely stand to do a deeper dive.
The recent remixed version of Tim might be their best though I love Let It Be dearly. (Don’t think a lot of fans disagree with you on “Black Diamond” unless I’m missing something!)
I really liked that mix and calling it the Let It Bleed edition was a cute nod. I cannot argue strongly against an album that is at least about 40% classics– “Kiss Me on the Bus,” “Bastards of Young,” “Left of the Dial,” and “Here Comes a Regular” — I just slightly prefer the classics on Let It Be
Tim is the best collection of songs in my opinion, and the Ed Stasium mix really gave it the energy of Let It Be that the Tommy Ramoen original mix didn’t have.