Little Hag

Little Hag originated in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where the band channels sharp, restless rock & roll through punk swagger, unfiltered emotional candor, and a rocker's appetite for loud guitars. Avery Mandeville fronts the group with a voice that holds steady even as it trembles, and her songwriting cuts deeply personal whether the tone turns witty, confessional, confrontational, or all three at once. The core of their approach first appeared on 2020's Whatever Happened to Avery Jane?, then gained added layers of sonic disorder on 2021's Leash. Electronic keyboards and percussion entered the picture on 2024's Now That's What I Call Little Hag, where sleek electronic textures reframed their pop-rooted melodies and Mandeville's pointed lyrics.

Avery Mandeville founded Little Hag in 2016 as lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Regular appearances on the Central New Jersey open-mike circuit led her to guitarist Matt Fernicola, and the pair soon began running their own weekly showcase at the Inkwell Coffeehouse in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Mandeville had been writing original material since high school and used these slots to refine new songs. Little Hag's first release, the five-song EP Salty, arrived in 2017 with drummer Owen Flanagan and keyboardist Branden Steinagle. The following year saw the nine-song album Happy Birthday, Avery Jane, which brought bassist Chris Dubrow into the lineup. Later in 2018 the band issued Whatever Happened to Avery Jane?, drawing together highlights from Salty and Happy Birthday, Avery Jane. Favorable notices in the indie press prompted Bar/None Records to sign them. Leash, released in 2021, marked a denser and more experimental turn recorded after Noah Rauchwerk replaced Branden Steinagle on keyboards. Three years of live performances and songwriting followed, during which Mandeville recovered from a breakup and moved to Philadelphia, before Little Hag delivered their most expansive work to date, 2024's Now That's What I Call Little Hag. The album's 13 tracks were shaped by seven separate production teams and introduced keyboardist Cara Introcaso and bassist Mitchell Warren-Devlin alongside Mandeville, Fernicola, and Flanagan.