Dress

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## General Information

### Genre

Grunge • Shoegaze • riot grrrl • pop rock

## Credits

### Label

Easy Life Records

***Dress*** is a song by Softcult. It's the fourth single from their third EP, ***See You In The Dark*** and the EP's second track. It was written by Mercedes Arn-Horn and Phoenix Arn-Horn, produced by Phoenix Arn-Horn and mixed by Chris Perry.

## Background

***Dress*** is a song about consent and the fear and trauma that haunts those who suffered sexual assault. Mercedes talked about the lyrics: "It’s about saying ‘no’ and having it happen to you anyway. It’s about being followed while walking alone at night or being cornered in a bar when we’re just trying to have a night out with our friends. [...] It’s about how these experiences make us feel powerless and change the way we see ourselves*.”*

According to Phoenix, “Dress” was one of the first songs the duo started writing for the EP but was ultimately the track that took the longest to come together. Phoenix said that when they were writing the song, it felt like a story was unfolding, one that they said people can relate to all too often. The arrangement came together once Softcult showed the unfinished demo to its guitarist.

The song was premiered in *BBC Radio* one day before it's official release. The lyrics of the song contain the title of the EP the song belongs to, ***See You In The Dark.***

## Artwork

The artwork is a doll with different changeable dresses around it. It makes a refference to the lyrics and the common sense that blames the victims of abuse because of the clothes they wear.

## Music Video

For ***Dress***, Softcult did a short film. It tells the story of a young woman on a night out that goes bad. The short film is about a woman who goes to a friend's party with a dress she bought for the night, as she got envolved with a man and they have sex without her consent. The rest of the video shows the trauma of being an assault survivor.

**The music video has flashing lights which may not be suitable for photosensitive epilepsy.**

The cast of the video is Sam Bielanski (from the band Pony), Jamie Hiltstone, Alyssa Wippel, Byron Patterson, Jad Hammoud, Leena Rodriguez, Pascale Padilla, Phil Hurst, Mercedes Arn-Horn and Phoenix Arn-Horn. The video was directed and edited by Mercedes Arn-Horn and produced by Phoenix Arn-Horn. Iced Out Visuals and Mercedes Arn-Horn served as directors of photography.

## Lyrics

It's a dress, not a yes
Not a cry for your attention
A night out with friends
Headed in the wrong direction

See you in the dark
On the street, following me
Take a picture in my mind
Is yours the last face that I'll see?

"It's a dress, not a yes
Not a fucking invitation
A night out with friends
Won't ever feel the same again"
It's a dress, not a yes
Not a fucking invitation
A night out with friends
Won't ever feel the same again

My hair, my face, my tongue, my legs
Won't ever feel the same again
My hands, my hips, my mouth, my lips
I'll never be the same again

See you in the dark
On thе street, following me
Watch it flash before my еyes
All the things that couldn't happen to me

"It's a dress, not a yes
Not a fucking invitation
A night out with friends
Won't ever feel the same again"
It's a dress, not a yes
Not a fucking invitation
A night out with friends
Won't ever feel the same again

Won't ever feel the same again
I'll never be the same again
Won't ever feel the same again
I'll never be the same again
Won't ever feel the same again
I'll never be the same again
Won't ever feel the same again

## Media

Softcult - Dress -official video-Official Video
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Listen to Softcult’s candid new single, Dress: “It’s about how these experiences make us feel powerless…” | Kerrang!
2. ↑ Softcult Returns With Political Messages in Its Music and Zines | The Heights
3. ↑ Instagram post
4. ↑ Dress video treatment | Shared by Mercedes in Softcult's official Discord
5. ↑ Credits at the description