A lifelong artist, writer, and singer, Lisa Barca combines driving guitars with a voice that shifts seamlessly from an intimate whisper to a no-holds-barred power belt and back again, leaving you energized, intrigued, and wanting more. Writing and performing heavy, melodic indie rock with radio-friendly pop hooks delivered with the raw energy of punk, she adds sophisticated arrangements and layers of harmonies. Her deceptively deep lyrics display a poeticism that transcends the status quo.
Her single, “Into the Ground” is featured here. Bold yet vulnerable, catchy yet complex, it features huge hooks and gritty vocals, marrying poetic lyricism with punk defiance in its unapologetic exploration of themes of identity and rebellion.
Lisa started writing songs in a drafty studio apartment in a rough part of downtown New Haven CT, playing them on sidewalks, in subways, and in small clubs in the northeastern U.S. while also performing her poetry in coffeeshops. Upon moving to Arizona she founded a punk band in the satirical and brash vein of bands like the Dead Kennedys and Sleater-Kinney. When the pandemic began, she changed direction and focused on writing and recording songs with a pop sensibility and 90s radio-rock vibe inspired by female artists of that era such as Veruca Salt and Liz Phair: catchy, lyric-driven and melodic but with an edge and a brutally frank approach. When asked about her creative process, Lisa reflects: “Songwriting for me is about giving a shape and an outlet to emotions and finding a moment of transcendence amid the uncertainties and pain of living in this world.” And recording and releasing those songs demands “getting clear about what it means to assert an artist identity. It’s like ‘here I am—I’m putting myself out there to the world in a way that to me feels authentic, and honest, and defiant.’ It takes so much confidence, which I’ve worked to build up in myself. It’s really wonderful as an artist to know that people are resonating that,” she says.
With a cache of well-crafted songs in-hand, in 2022 Lisa went into the studio to begin recording. She released her debut single “Clean and Clear” in November of 2022, and it was immediately picked up by KWSS 93.9 FM Arizona Rock and aired on the Local Spotlight. The song wowed audiences with the literary prowess of its lyrics and its strong pop songcraft, propelled by a nuanced, powerful vocal performance and mandolin licks alongside heavy and driving guitars.
