It’s hard to believe that Softcult is as young of a band as they are. The Canadian duo released their debut EP Year Of The Rat in 2021, and seemingly took over the world overnight. By the time their following EP Year Of The Snake was released in 2022, Softcult had perfected their trademark blend of shoegaze, grunge, and pop rock - resulting in a collection of songs that was utterly remarkable to have come from a band that had seemingly only been around for a year. Now merely another year later, Softcult is back again with See You In The Dark - another astounding (yet concise) EP proving that the band simply does not miss.

See You In The Dark opens with its two most driving songs. “Drain” is a massive and immediate powerhouse soaked in reverb that somehow finds a way to feel inviting and utterly beautiful in the midst of its wall of sound. Any semblance of a welcoming tone that “Drain” provided takes a turn for the ominous with “Dress” - a poignant track about sexual assault and the culture that empowers individuals to feel entitled to other people’s bodies based off of what someone is wearing.

From this point, the EP slows down slightly and transitions into four unique slow-burners. The ethereal and artfully restrained “One Of A Million” has one of the best choruses on the release. “Someone2Me” follows with an eerie and unpredictable chord progression that bounces back and forth from airy verses to fuzzed-out refrains. “Love Song” is a lush and cinematic reprieve before the climactic masterpiece “Spoiled” closes the EP out seemingly as quickly as it arrived.

See You In The Dark is another welcome addition to Softcult’s impressive and rapidly growing discography. Expanding on and perfecting everything this band has excelled at in the past, See You In The Dark is Softcult at their best yet.

9/10