More about: Softcult

Just under a year after their debut EP Year Of The Rat, and Ontario’s Softcult are back with Year Of The Snake. It’s another short, sweet EP that shows of the depth of Softcult’s sound, with heightened sonic and visual touches that show them progressing with every release. The twins have already released five of the six tracks as singles, leaving one surprise at the end in ‘Uzumaki’, which you might recognise if you’ve been following the band’s journey closely...

Initially released last year as their second ever single, ‘Uzumaki’ was removed from streaming platforms after accusations that they had copied elements of Loathe’s ‘Two-Way Mirror’. Although the two bands worked things out together, conflict amongst fans lead to the song ultimately not appearing on the debut EP. Here, a reworked version appears, keeping the main message intact with musical changes. Wherever you stood on the argument, ‘Uzumaki’ is a great song in Softcult’s discography that adds a heavier element to their shoegaze sounds.

EP opener ‘BWBB’ gets things off to a roaring start as they show off more of the heavier tools in their arsenal. Here, they lean into their riot grrrl roots as they lash out against assault. Compared with dreamier offerings from their first record like ‘Gloomy Girl’, ‘BWBB’ shows that Softcult can draw from a range of genres with ease. It’s tracks like ‘BWBB’ and ‘Uzumaki’ that deliver on their promise that Year Of The Snake would be a darker record, both in the topics that they don’t shy away from and the emphasis on guitars that we hear this time around. The heavier sound arrives at the perfect time; these punkier elements will play very well on stage as Softcult prepare to embark on their first UK tour later on this year.

The likes of ‘House Of Mirrors’ and ‘Perfect Blue’ lean more towards their dream-pop side while exploring themes of control and living up to expectations that consistently hit close to home. Like its predecessor, each song on Year Of The Snake is there to make an important statement: the EP may be short, but it wastes no time in getting its point across.

‘Spit It Out’ is another key example of the record’s dark side with its intense lyrics that make themselves clearer with each listen. Along with ‘Perfect Blue’, it also has some of the darkest visuals on the record. It is creative touches like this that show Softcult’s clear progression as they establish the artistic vision we can expect from them as a band — it will be fascinating to see how far they take it.

Year Of The Snake is an impressive follow-up to 2021’s Year Of The Rat, expanding on the genres that they started with as they try their hand and softer and sharper sounds throughout the EP. Their instrumentation is even more refined, and they’ve hit their stride in their DIY ethos. It has that same rebellious spirit as before, often explored in a more subtle way but never failing to get the message across. On the whole, Softcult are growing stronger with every song they put out, and it’s exciting to imagine where they’re going to go next.

Year of the Snake arrives 4 February via Easy Life Records.

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More about: Softcult