Softcult – Queen Of Nothing
Softcult release “Queen Of Nothing”, the fifth single from their debut album When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, out January 30, 2026 via Easy Life Records. The Ontario sibling duo of Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn deliver their most direct statement yet, blending grunge, shoegaze, and alt-rock into a track about systemic discrimination against women.
Mercedes explains: “This song is about the double standards, harsh judgments, and unrealistic expectations that patriarchal society places on women. We’re expected to be sexy, but only as it applies to the male fantasy. We’re expected to constantly nurture the men in our lives, and shamed if our aspirations exceed becoming wives and mothers. Our intelligence and our success is tolerated so long as it isn’t too threatening or intimidating to our male counterparts. This song is about the realisation that these cycles of abuse are bigger than our personal experiences.”
The album title comes from a quote that struck Mercedes: “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” Written during personal upheaval and self-discovery, the ten-track record explores cycles of oppression, abuse, and the courage to break free.
Softcult maintains complete creative control: Phoenix handles production, engineering, and artwork, while Mercedes writes, produces, directs, and edits their videos. They also publish their monthly zine SCripture and run an active Discord community. The video for “Queen Of Nothing” was directed and edited by Mercedes, shot with photographer Kaylene Widdoes.
Tracklist:
- Intro
- Pill To Swallow
- Naive
- 16/25
- She Said, He Said
- Hurt Me
- I Held You Like Glass
- Queen Of Nothing
- Tired!
- Not Sorry
- When A Flower Doesn’t Grow
