Leash, the sophomore LP from New Jersey bitch rockers Little Hag, came together in between night classes, bartending shifts, first kisses, last kisses, shitty gigs, karaoke nights, and all the emptiness of the quarantine that came after. It’s a sarcastic but seriously cynical pop-rock soundtrack for the dropouts and the disappointments; for that moment when your head hits the pillow and you relive your every shortcoming and mistake.

Little Hag emerged in 2020 with “Tetris,” a 2-minute slice of pure pop pugnaciousness. A compilation LP titled Whatever Happened To Avery Jane? followed, chronicling Avery’s many pleasures and pains, and made a splash on college radio and commercial specialty shows. Passion of the Weiss called Little Hag“...a thrilling songwriter, untethered from time and place, sending DMs and shade, not greetings, from Asbury Park.”

Leash elaborates on these themes; calling out abusive men, stalking social media, and reckless driving. Something is holding a defeated and nostalgic Mandeville hostage, tethered to her misanthropic perspective. But she’s not wrong in her grievances; men are disgusting, women are beautiful, fear is paralyzing and death is imminent. Time to face it.

Mandeville and producer Erik Kase Romero (The Front Bottoms, Deal Casino) began testing the waters of this record together in 2018 with “My Last Name,” a stripped-down and sentimental ode to the memories that derail us. Things only get louder from there, with tracks like the fuzzy, complaint laden “The Whole World” and the brutal rocker about killing before being killed, “Brass Knuckle Keychain.” The washed-out arrangements on “Cherry” and twinkling piano on “Schlub” carry the heavy emotional weight of the record; traversing the hoops we jump through and the traps we fall for in love and lust. Mandeville’s intense vibrato sharpens the impact every time, with a poignancy evocative of Adrianne Lenker and Sharon van Etten. Little Hag wears their many flaws with pride, dressing up their baggage and taking it out for a night on the town.

Prior to Leash, Little Hag released the vintage single “Get Real!” It’s a brash feminist anthem with big riffs and some strong words for those who disagree with the message. Their summer scandal of an EP, 2021’s Breakfast, erased any polite image Little Hag might have had left. Breakfast harnessed every last drop of taboo and discomfort to chew up and spit out an unholy trinity of fluids, “Blood,” “Cum,” and “Piss.” A pregnancy scare, a nasty old man, and a battle with chronic illness are fodder to help us laugh through the pain until we learn to make the pain our bitch. Leash is filled with tunes that tear your heart out and then make you smile in the same breath, the mark of a true rock star waiting in the wings for the world to catch up.

Little Hag is Mandeville(she/her) on guitar and complaining, Matt Fernicola (he/him) on lead guitar, Owen Flanagan (he/him) on drums, Chris Dubrow (he/him) on bass, and Noah Rauchwerk (he/him) on keys and emotional support.