THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On their powerful debut album When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, Softcult deliver their most unflinching and transformative work yet. Written during a time of personal upheaval and self-discovery, the 10 tracks on the new record explore cycles of abuse, conformity and systemic oppression, while honouring the courage it takes to break free.
“The truth is, nothing can thrive in an environment where it is stifled,” reflects Mercedes Arn-Horn, one-half of the duo with sister Phoenix. “We can’t flourish in environments that are oppressive. We need the world around us to be an environment that encourages us to grow. ”
The title draws from a quote that struck Mercedes during a pivotal moment: “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” For Mercedes, those words resonated deeply as she ended a nine-year relationship, came out as queer, and began confronting the internalized oppression she’d long fought against publicly. “The person I portrayed myself to be on stage was not the same person making the decisions that governed my life, ” she explains. “I was root bound. I was disappearing, shrinking, withering away… and I felt ashamed of it.”
The result is a concept album chronicling the stages of inner metamorphosis; written from the perspective of someone radicalized by trauma, strengthened by resilience, and finally reborn into their true self. Musically, Softcult continue to expand their rich blend of grunge, shoegaze, and alt-rock textures, weaving fuzz-laden riffs and dreamy soundscapes with raw, confessional lyricism. The result is both intimate and universal: A record for anyone who has ever felt trapped or diminished by their surroundings, and a rallying cry to nurture ourselves and each other in the pursuit of freedom and authenticity.
The album follows last year’s acclaimed Heaven EP, which flipped the concept of an afterlife on its head, critiquing a culture fixated on the future while ignoring the urgent need for change in the present. That release saw the duo land a Juno nomination for Alternative Album Of The Year and embark on tours across North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia.
Born in the studio and committed to carving out their own universe, Softcult embody a fiercely DIY ethos. Phoenix leads production, engineering, and artwork, while Mercedes writes, produces, directs, and edits their deeply personal videos. Together, they create and distribute their monthly zine SCripture and stay deeply connected to their community through the Softcult Discord server. Their music and message serve as constant reminders that the revolution is very much alive — proof that true liberation begins when we transform our environment and allow ourselves, and each other, to grow.”