[BoC] M/23/5'6/140 - I've never strength trained before - starting soon.

You are the definition of skinny fat. Learn to lift. Make it a habit. Reduce your calories (cut) and try to get 100 grams of protein a day.

You'll get stronger, build muscle, and lose fat at the same time because you're untrained. Do this for the next 3 months, then reevaluate.

I'm kinda in the same place as you are. This is the best advice I can give you: cut your calories, (I started with eliminating 2 of my three meals a day, and eating a large healthy dinner, now I'm eating 2 meals a day) I tried the "oh just eat 6-8 little meals" thing for a while. I ate 6-8 meals of absolute garbage, and too many calories, ymmv thought.

While you're cutting, lift in low, strength building rep ranges. Lift like you're a powerlifter. You aren't trying to lift to be pretty, that comes later. You are trying to gain as much strength as you can, while putting your body in a caloric deficit. You should gain a bit of muscle, but, more importantly you'll have saved the muscle you do have, and trained it (this should make bulking easier, and more efficient).

I think you should cut -as I am myself, and here's why: when you're cutting, you may loose some muscle mass, the more muscle you have, the more exaggerated this loss is. So, to preserve your (eventual) gains, its better to cut first, then bulk; because your cut after you bulk, will take less time -and muscle- away from you. Reason #2 it will be easier -for everyone- to see your gains with less fat. You can better monitor your progress, and keep an eye on your fat gain while bulking. Reason #3: nobody really wants to be fat during summer. (not saying you are, but the more you pack on... the worse swimsuit season is.

Cut down man, then bulk. Lift for strength now, and mass later.