Soft Lions Archives - Various Small Flames

January 2016 Roundup – A Mixtape

Jon Doyle — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:29:47 +0000

Here’s the January 2016 roundup, a mixtape featuring every artist we covered last month. Due to the holiday break and various end of year lists, it’s not as long as usual, but we are positive you’ll find something that tickles your fancy. Click the artist name in the tracklisting to be taken to the post in question.

Tracklisting:

1. Amerika – Wintersleep
2. Born Confused – Porridge Radio
3. Catchyalater – Frog
4. Water – Opals
5. Listerine – Foxall
6. Nightmare Song – Oscar Lush
7. October Mirage – Island Eyes
8. Past is Personal – West America
9. Roller – Quilt
10. Unattached – Two White Cranes
11. On the Nights You Stay Home – Donovan Woods
12. Call Out – Minor Moon
13. Consolation – The Chairman Dances (Lit Links)
14. First I’m Sorry – Haley Heynderickx
15. Waitress – Soft Lions
16. Vanitas – Hanging Hills
17. Waiting – Faint Peter
18. Farewell Navigator – Naomi Pop
19. Gifts – Real Swell
20. Future Wife – Jacob Faurholt
21. Wall – Slows Down
22. Olly Oxen Free – Creature Speak

P.S. On the subject of roundups, make sure you read about our favourite albums of 2015, our favourite songs and favourite free music.

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Soft Lions – Spellbreaker

Jon Doyle — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 17:36:48 +0000

Soft Lions are a surf rock/post-riot girl band from San Diego, CA. They released the EP Spellbreaker last summer, four tracks which serve as a great introduction to what Soft Lions are all about – trippy punk which takes as much from 60s psych pop as it does from 90s guitar-driven lo-fi rock.

The release opens with ‘Waitress’, a surf punk track raucous in its twin aims of cynicism and defiance, lead Megan Liscomb delivering her lines with sardonic glee:

“You’ll always be a waitress,
born to serve in a short dress
You’ll always be a waitress
and the bad man never dies”

‘THNX 4 The Sanctuary’ is more moody, the garage rock shifting towards 60s psychedelica, while the title track is similarly shadowy, rumbling and angsty rock-and-roll smothered in a shroud of dry ice. The final track ‘Phantom’ is a definite change of pace, a song about healed wounds and how all bad things do eventually end, providing a tender and reflective finale to a great little EP.

You can buy Spellbreaker now from Velvet Blue Music, including nice CD and vinyl editions. The band hope to release a full length album this year, so we’ll keep you updated.

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