“You know you’re one of the pack.”
Softcult are a band that I’d known of but never really paid much attention to historically. This is something which changed following seeing their fantastic performance supporting the iconic Movements in the UK during their December 2023 Tour. Following Softcult’s performance, I found myself instantly questioning why I had paid them no mind previously; going on a discography deep dive in subsequent days, and kicking myself for not listening to them sooner. All of this to say that when the opportunity presented itself to review their upcoming EP, I jumped at the chance with excitement and intrigue as to what they’d come up with for their latest release.
I was instantly greeted with a sound all too familiar, and reminiscent of their previous work. In fact, this rings true for a good portion of this EP, with the band honing their craft in places by adding in new elements, whilst also taking the “less-is-more” approach in others and stripping things back. The latter of these approaches is something that is interwoven throughout the EP, with some tracks incorporating elements of both philosophies blended with expertise.
In fact, the instrumentation is something across the entirety of the release that really deserves praise. The mixture of different elements of shoegaze, post-rock, and, at times, pop-punk really pays off well. It’s all too easy to throw a few pedals and effects onto a guitar and expect it to sound “shoe-gazey”, but in Softcult’s case, everything has been done for a reason to create an atmosphere.
The same can be said for the vocals, which are, as expected, beautiful across the majority of the EP. If you know Softcult, then you won’t be surprised to hear that the wonderful, delicate cleans are just as perfect, if not more so on this release. Juxtaposing against the cacophony being produced through the guitar work, they are truly refreshing and fit in extremely well. That isn’t to say that there aren’t moments on here where the lyrical delivery detracts however. The chorus on “One Of The Pack” was a particular point of contention for myself when listening to the EP. Employing a more shouted or spoken word style to juxtapose against the light and delicate singing on the rest of the track, the chorus’ delivery ends up feeling out of place and sadly ruins what is otherwise a solid track.
Historically, Softcult are no strangers to discussing hard-hitting topics, and that’s no different here, with both introspective and political themes being discussed across the release. Previous tracks such as “Take It Off” and “Spit It Out” carry extremely important messages throughout their lyricism and themes, and the delivery of these feels fitting for the emotions behind the message. On Heaven, we see this once more, with the band exploring themes of self-hatred, indifference to oneself, and regret, which are clearly all very important themes to discuss. It is abundantly clear that the band are clearly very passionate about these topics, a lot of which they have been outspoken about on social media in the past.
Sadly, it’s not all praise here though, as the lyricism surrounding these topics can feel quite immature, or on-the-nose at times. Admittedly, there are definitely moments where being to-the-point is necessary, and the emotion conveyed behind that approach is impactful, however, it is hard to argue that this approach is necessary for the topics in question here. That’s not to say that the tracks themselves don’t convey the right message – they certainly do, however it is hard to not feel like they are hamfisted at times. Take “Shortest Fuse” for example, which references capitalism and feeling indifferent due to the monotony of daily life – something which many people can relate to. It is hard to feel that the blunt referencing this through the lyrics is necessary, and it sadly detracts from the listening experience. Through referencing directly to being unable to feel, and also needing to sell items to cover rental costs in the lyrics, the subtlety is lost entirely, and it sadly makes the track feel somewhat immature. Whilst I agree and relate to a lot of the messages being conveyed here, it’s hard to not feel that a more subtle metaphorical approach would make them feel more impactful.
Subsequently, I feel like I’m in quite a strange place when reviewing this album. There’s some fantastic moments, and I’m certain that a large portion of the EP will sound fantastic live. But it’s hard to move past the issues with the lyricism as it’s something that I feel the band have been better with in the past. With that said, the delivery of the lyrics is still fantastic, and the instrumentation is nothing short of beautiful. If you’re already a Softcult fan, Heaven definitely deserves a listen, and if you like shoegaze or post-rock it may just be for you too.
7/10
Heaven releases on the 24th May and can be pre-ordered here.