Canadian twin duo Softcult jumpstart their year with “Shortest Fuse,” a colossal fusion of shoegaze, grunge, and riot grrrl; it’s the band’s ultimate criticism of capitalist society and the chokehold it has on low-income households.

Mercedes (she/her) and Phoenix (they/them) Arn-Horn dedicate their creative forces to storytelling with a purpose; across their young but lush discography, the two tackle issues most are afraid to even comment on. As a result, they’e built this intricate, self-sustaining universe around their art that stands for something bigger than any one of us alone.

Of the inspiration behind the new track, Softcult says:

“Capitalism seems to be designed to keep underprivileged people toiling in a never ending cycle of debt and poverty where their labor is underpaid in order to profit their employers. The benefits of capitalism are rarely equally distributed, accruing wealth to a very small percentage of the population. Built on the notion of greed, benefitting only by paying workers less than what their labor is worth, it’s difficult to not become disenfranchised with capitalism when you exist in this reality and see no end in sight. We can’t become complicit in a system that is designed to keep us down.”

2023 brought Softcult all over the world, including the US, UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Now they’ll bring it back to the U.S. for their first headlining tour — starting next month with Superbloom and Glixen, and continuing in the summer with new dates just announced today with Present. as support.

All tickets are available now.

with Superbloom:
February 8 Rockwood Music Hall Boston Boston MA
February 9 Mercury Lounge New York NY
February 10 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia PA
February 13 Black Cat Washington DC
February 14 Neighborhood Theatre (Side Stage) Charlotte NC

with Glixen:
February 16 New World Tampa Tampa FL
February 17 Conduit Winter Park FL
February 18 The Masquerade (Purgatory) Atlanta GA
February 20 The End Nashville TN
February 21 Rumba Cafe Columbus OH
February 22 Preserving Underground New Kensington PA
February 23 Mohawk Place Buffalo NY

with Present.:
June 27, 2024 – The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
June 29, 2024 – Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
June 30, 2024 – recordBar – Kansas City, MO
July 02, 2024 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
July 03, 2024 – Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT
July 05, 2024 – The Pearl – Vancouver, BC
July 06, 2024 – Madame Lou’s – Seattle, WA
July 07, 2024 – Mission Theater – Portland, OR
July 09, 2024 – The Starlet Room – Sacramento, CA
July 10, 2024 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
July 12, 2024 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
July 13, 2024 – Voodoo Room – San Diego, CA
July 14, 2024 – The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
July 17, 2024 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
July 19, 2024 – The Ballroom – Austin, TX
July 20, 2024 – Club Dada – Dallas, TX
July 21, 2024 – Beer City Music Hall – Oklahoma City, OK
July 22, 2024 – Blueberry Hill – St. Louis, MO
July 23, 2024 – Mahall’s – Lakewood, OH

Stream “Shortest Fuse” HERE.