We’ve heard a lot of promising previews of the new Softcult album When A Flower Doesn’t Grow: “Naive,” “Pill To Swallow,” “16/25,” and “She Said, He Said.” Now the Montreal duo is back with a shoegazy gem called “Queen Of Nothing.”
“This song is about the double standards, harsh judgements, and unrealistic expectations that patriarchal society places on women,” the band explains, continuing:
We’re expected to be sexy, but only as it applies to the male fantasy; somehow a virgin and a slut. We’re expected to constantly nurture the men in our lives, and shamed if our aspirations exceed becoming wives and mothers. The world demands maturity from us, but discards us when we’re old and “unfuckable,” our value reduced to our ability to attract men. And when we attract men, we’re labeled “whores.” We’re expected to be “cool” and “like one of the guys,” but not too abrasive, loud, or “unladylike.” Our intelligence and our success is tolerated so long as it isn’t too threatening or intimidating to our male counterparts.
From unconscious biases to blatant sexism, misogyny and gender violence, women face an impossible amount of discrimination in the world today. And no matter the amount of vitriol or ignorance we endure, we’re still expected to smile. This song is about the realization that these cycles of abuse are bigger than our personal experiences. It’s recognizing the systemic nature of mistreatment and discrimination.
Listen below.
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow is out 1/30 via Easy Life Records.
