Canadian grunge duo Softcult enjoyed their first performance in Cebu, so much that siblings Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn vowed they would “for sure” not skip the city the next time they tour the Philippines.
Cebu City was the final Philippine stop on Softcult’s Southeast Asia tour last month, following performances in Baguio and Manila. They continued to Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore for the rest of June.
Throughout their 90-minute set at From Here Playground in Crossroads Cebu, the siblings were welcomed by a sizable, enthusiastic audience. Fans bobbed their heads, sang along at the top of their lungs, and erupted the loudest when they performed their familiar favorites like “Uzumaki.” One concertgoer recorded parts of the show using a Nintendo 3DS, a now-vintage handheld gaming console capable of capturing 3D videos.
“The crowd just has so much enthusiasm. Right from the beginning, you can tell everyone’s really excited,” Mercedes told The FREEMAN backstage after the show and their meet-and-greet. “It just feels really good when you’re on stage. You can tell our fans have been waiting a long time for us to come, and we’ve been waiting a long time to come here. This is mutual excitement.”
The duo also watched their opening acts, School Girl Classic, Monopolice, and Cagayan de Oro-based KRNA from the audience before they took the stage.
“We are just floored by how talented they are,” said Mercedes. “Being from Canada, we don’t often get exposed to music from Southeast Asia. We feel really lucky because we get the chance to come here, see what the local scene is like, and hear local talent because, honestly, it’s top-tier.”
Mercedes and Phoenix formed Softcult in 2020 after disbanding their previous band, Courage My Love. Feeling creatively stifled by their former record label and having lost a sense of direction, the siblings started over on their own terms. The shift from the brighter pop-punk sound of their former band to their current darker blend of grunge and shoegaze became a fulfilling creative reset for the siblings.
“It felt really good,” said Mercedes of their creative catharsis. “It’s nice not having to settle or compromise our ideas and creativity. I think that’s what was especially important about our first two EPs (“Year of the Rat” and “Year of the Snake”) because we were writing completely from the heart. It’s the kind of stuff that we wanted to release, so it felt good to be creative and not have to try and please anybody.”
The duo named themselves Softcult as a form of social commentary. Through their music, which tackles themes of social justice and finding one’s identity, they examine issues such as conformity, social pressure, and the tendency for people to follow systems and ideologies without questioning them.
Softcult released their debut studio album, “When a Flower Doesn’t Grow,” last January to positive reviews from music publications NME and Stereoboard. Among its popular tracks are “Pill to Swallow” and “She Said, He Said.”
Growing up, Mercedes and Phoenix regularly attended and performed at local shows in their hometown of Kitchener, Ontario, which they described as having “a strong local scene with a lot of punk and hardcore” that helped them perform in places beyond their hometown — though there was one caveat.
“There weren’t a lot of women in music in that local scene, so we were often the only women on the bill. I am happy to say that has changed a lot since,” Mercedes said.
“I think the local scene took us under its wing and showed us the ropes of performing. Eventually, we started playing beyond our hometown and kept growing as we toured elsewhere. And now we’re here across the world, which is pretty cool for us.”
Away from the constraints of a major label, Softcult isn’t interested in tailoring their music to fit social media algorithms, even as many artists and record labels now rely on these platforms to promote new releases.
“It’s good not to go with what’s trendy because trends come and go,” said Phoenix. “Right now, TikTok is kind of the thing that labels are pushing artists to do, but it’s just the flavor of the month. What lasts is making art that stands the test of time.”
Phoenix added, “I think it’s important to focus on making art as opposed to making content because that’s what inspires you as an artist. As soon as you get wrapped up too much in making content, you’re losing a piece of yourself as an artist.”
At the same time, the siblings acknowledge the irony that platforms like TikTok have introduced a new generation of listeners to influential alternative bands such as Deftones, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive.
For them, the platform is better used when it helps people discover timeless music — not when it dictates how artists should create their own art based on the algorithm.
“The younger generation is getting into them because they released art that stood the test of time and makes you feel something, as opposed to having this timestamped, flash-in-the-pan vibe to it,” said Mercedes.
“Don’t format the art to fit the platform that it’s getting released on. You release the art to the platform, whatever that may be, but you shouldn’t change your art to fit the platform.”
Written by JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA/VAB
