Lions out of cage

It’s been less than a year since Soft Lions started playing together, but they are releasing an EP titled Earth Energy, on June 7 at Soda Bar. The self-described “moody post–riot grrl jams” feature members of Boy King, the Very, Marco Polo, and the New Kinetics. The hard-rocking riffs of the aforementioned outfits are evident in this fledgling trio’s tunes, but the instrumentation is even more stripped down and the lyrics are marked by a confessional attitude.

“This winter, I had a personal breakthrough and I made a conscious decision to be more open and vulnerable in my songwriting and in performances than I have ever been,” says guitarist/vocalist Megan Liscomb. “I also wrote some songs that are still so raw they scare me. Getting those songs out is going to be the next step after this and I’m so scared and I can’t wait.”

Her candidness, however, comes with a caveat. Diary excerpts from the band’s blog allude to abuse and anorexia (the degree to which they are a product of poetic license is unclear) alongside good-natured nods to 30 Rock and musings on culture-normative slut-shaming. But Liscomb’s writing also plays a protective role; it obscures as much as it reveals.

“With that said,” she continues, “I don’t think I’m ready to talk much about my real life or the reasons I write, beyond what comes out in my songs and the writing I share. I still feel shy talking between songs onstage. Opening up is a delicate thing for me....

“For me, the band has become a highly functional creature that started with just a lot of fur and claws, but now is growing paws and a strong tail that all three of us move,” says keys/vocalist Lex Pratt, whose lilting background vocals provides a saccharine counterpoint to Liscomb’s nasally admissions.

“Our animal is getting more attitude, more unapologetic about our moodiness and vulnerability. We’re not covering the songs in banter or extreme solos. Our songs are a straightforward, intentional dialogue, created through both the honesty in the lyrics as well as the minimal arrangements behind them.”

This summer, the band will be releasing a video for EP opener “Diary,” along with a ’zine of art and writings by Liscomb, Pratt, and drummer Jon Bonser.