Softcult’s latest dream-pop track proves they’re not just “One of a Million”

Somewhat apt to their name, Softcult are a powerhouse Canadian family duo of shared and eclectic musical talents. Phoenix masterfully produces and engineers their tracks and Mercedes is a video virtuoso, directing and editing their filmed content. As Softcult, both siblings come together to create intimate, introspective, and empowering songs about real-world issues, unafraid to write music for the zeitgeist.

Over wistful hushed vocals and a dreamy guitar line their latest effort, "One of a Million", depicts Mercedes’ experience finding her place in such an irregular world. At once, this is both a story of intense tribulation, but also a quest to find comfort – searching for an idea to help orientate and ground herself in the vastness and uncertainties of life. Whilst the track’s production may transport listeners back to the 90s, the lyrics convey a message very much for our time: we might all like to think of ourselves as different people, but it is important to also recognize our universal human commonalities, as finding similarities with those around us is the best way to reach progress and harmony.

Describing the evolution of the track Mercedes explains, “Originally, I was writing from a frustrating perspective, expressing my feelings about the people in our society who think they are the exception and can justify repeating selfish actions, no matter who they harm in the process. As the song began to take shape, it also became about my own personal insecurities and fear of being ordinary and unexceptional, but the more I thought about it and wrote about it, I realized that accepting how similar we all are as human beings is a comforting sentiment, if not a vital one.”

“The more we relate to each other and acknowledge our similarities the more empathy and compassion we will have for one another.” She continues, “The more divided we are, the longer these issues get drawn out instead of solved. It’s important to not only celebrate our diversity and unique-ness, but also to remember that at a very basic level we are all more the same than different.”

But it’s not just the song’s shimmering haze, the duo’s baggy t-shirts, or the accompanying video’s pre-digital look that are reminiscent of an earlier, softer era; Softcult have also channelled the punk Riot Grrrl political movement of the 90s into the production of their very own zine, SCripture. Currently on volume twenty, the two latest issues of the zine sit perfectly alongside the release of "One of a Million", discussing how to embrace your individuality whilst finding common ground with others, and the importance of looking after yourself by setting interpersonal boundaries. Furthermore, earlier editions have covered important topics from abortion rights to the need to make gigs safer.

Although such issues may have not progressed as much as society needs them to since the original Riot Grrrl movement, the concerted and determined social commentary Softcult embark on through the writing of their songs and zines prove their undoubted cross-genre appeal as rising voices of potentiality in the industry. Understanding the powerful capacity of music to promote positive social change among broad fanbases, Phoenix and Mercedes are poised to continue inhabiting the punk politics of generations past through their craft.