Year of the Rat (EP)
Year of the Rat is the debut extended play by Canadian grunge duo Softcult, released on April 16, 2021, through Easy Life Records. Background and recording In 2017, Courage My Love released their second studio album, Synesthesia. After the album's release, twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn found themselves at crossroads their record label over the band's creative direction; the Arn-Horn siblings spent the remaining years of Courage My Love's existence writing hundreds of songs to appease their label, which ultimately proved to be fruitless and discouraging. The band played their final show in March 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns in Canada. In the summer of 2020, the Arn-Horn siblings decided to disband Courage My Love and pursue a new project together where they were free to pursue whatever direction that they wanted. Year of the Snake was written and recorded during most of 2020 at the band's home studio in Kitchener, Ontario. The EP was produced and engineered by Phoenix Arn-Horn, and was mixed by Chris Perry. Owing to their negative experiences with their former label, Softcult were initially planning on self-releasing their music, until they were urged to sign with a label by their manager. Composition