Perfect Blue

***Perfect Blu***e is a song by Softcult. It was the fourth single from ***Year Of The Snake***, and the fourth song on the EP. Perfect Blue was written by Mercedes Arn-Horn and Phoenix Arn-Horn, produced by Phoenix Arn-Horn and mixed by Chris Perry.

## Background

The song's title is a reference to the 1998 anime movie Perfect Blue. The movie is about losing your own identity, and the blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality. The movie was playing in the background in the twins' home studio while they were writing the song.

In an interview with *Upset*, Mercedes revealed that the song's lyrics are about Courage My Love's struggles with their record label, and how that caused the twins to lose their identity as songwriters. “They weren’t interested in the music we were creating at the time, so we became unhealthily obsessed with trying to please them to release anything at all.” This led to the twins feeling like they were "changing for other people" and that they were "losing ourselves in the process".

“It felt as though we were putting on an act to survive," Phoenix elaborated on the situation. "We didn’t feel like our art was representing us. There was a lot we wanted to say, but it was being stifled. We felt like we’d lost our integrity."

"The song is a reminder to empower yourself by standing up for what you believe in, or risk losing yourself altogether.”

## Artwork

The cover art shows a woman with some of her features copied and pasted multiple times. The artwork references both the song's lyrics and the original movie that inspired it.

## Music Video

The song received a music video at the same day of it's release. It was premiered on *Indie88's website.*

“I wanted the viewer to feel like they are entering the mind of someone who is watching themselves transform, powerless to stop their metamorphosis," Mercedes said about the music video. "I clearly remember times in my life when I felt pressure to become a version of myself that others wanted me to be, but that version wasn’t authentic to who I was,”

The video uses its visuals as metaphors. Mercedes at the mirror represents a feeling of health anxiety, dysphoria and dissociation, while she sheds her skin like a snake. Phoenix is dressed as a mime, which is meant to symbolize "playing a part that is unauthentic to yourself, an outer shell, a disguise". The music video was inspired by surrealist directors like David Lynch, Gaspar Noe and Dario Argento. A snake was also meant to appear in the music video.

The video was directed and edited by Mercedes Arn-Horn. Iced Out Visuals served as the director of photography. Special thanks went to Nathan Stretch, Commons Studios, and the Kitchener Public Library.

## Lyrics

Console me
Clothe me in denial
Wanna wear all the things you like
Expose me
Scold me like a child
Good intentions, they cut like a knife

Looking back at a face
Barely recognize you
But the eyes are a shade
Of the same perfect blue

I watched you change into someone new
Saw it all degrade into deja vu
Who are you
Perfect blue

Control me
I don't own myself
Just a product of your design
Turning slowly
Into someone else
All these words in my mouth aren't mine

Looking back at a face
Barely recognize you
But the eyes are a shade
of the same perfect blue

I watched you change into someone new
Saw it all degrade into deja vu
Who are you
Perfect Blue

## Media

Softcult - Perfect Blue -official video-Official Video
## References

Mercedes answered a fan
2. ↑ Track by Track: ﻿Softcult – Year Of The Snake EP | Upset
3. ↑ Softcult tweet
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Softcult release new indie-rock single Perfect Blue | Gay Times
5. ↑ Indie88 Premiere: Canadian indie-rock duo Softcult feel out of control on new single ‘Perfect Blue’ | Indie88
6. ↑ PERFECT BLUE video treatment | Shared by Mercedes in the official band's Discord
7. ↑ Perfect Blue credits at the description.