Little Hag
Biography - now that’s what i call little hag
Little Hag is working through her issues and has a brand new album to prove it. Now That’s What I Call Little Hag aptly showcases the wide ranging songwriting of Avery Mandeville. Using 8 different producers and studios she delivers punk rock bangers, deep disco dives, torch songs, folk ballads and much more.
She rages against capitalism when things go awry while working at a Jersey bar in “1000 Birds.” She skewers an ex in “Would It Kill You?” and “You Blew It!” but she can also turn the lens around and scrutinize herself (“God I'm So Annoying,” “HHSTTHN”). The songs “All 3” and “Oops!” ponder the private vs. the public persona, while “Suck Out The Pain” imagines a way to surgically remove heartache. Finally, she finds new love on the sappy sapphic track “King Cake.” Oh yeah, there’s also an ode to her vibrator (“The Machine”) that might just be a metaphor for the coming AI revolution. What a journey! Time to take a nap.
Little Hag was formed in 2016 in the suburbs of central Jersey by Mandeville, guitarist Matt Fernicola and drummer Owen Flanagan; joined in recent years by bassist Mitchell Warren-Devlin and keyboardist/vocalist Cara Introcaso. Fern and Avery came up together in the local open mic scene, eventually hosting their own at the legendary Inkwell Coffeehouse in West Long Branch where they worked on what would become Avery’s debut self titled material. After signing to Hoboken’s Bar/None Records in 2020, they released Whatever Happened To Avery Jane, a compilation of older tunes with the new summer bummer pop single “Tetris” about the mortifying feeling of COVID induced lust. Then came the truly messy, NSFW heavy hitters on 2021’s Breakfast EP, an unholy trinity of "Piss,” “Blood" and "Cum.” Their following sophomore LP Leash was abrasive and daring, calling out a variety of shitty dudes - exes, alcoholics and old man stalkers - and the ugly ways we self sabotage. The power of these feminist anthems saw Little Hag take the late stage performing with Bright Eyes, Alex G, Interpol and Spoon in their hometown of Asbury Park, with Naked Giants in L.A. and at Feile Na Greine festival in Limerick, Ireland.
For the forthcoming Now That’s What I Call Little Hag, Mandeville got out of Jersey to clear her head after a breakup. She quit her job and went to Durham, NC to visit friends and write a song every day for the month of January before settling into her new home in South Philly, recording with engineer Mark Watter (Alex G, Liz Delise) at Headroom Studios and Erik Kase Romero (The Front Bottoms). Little Hag bites down hard on your brain and doesn’t let go, with infectious live energy, unabashed audacity and a penchant for the uncomfortable and taboo.
biography - leash
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.