Biography
Formed beyond Philadelphia’s city limits before shifting base to Los Angeles, the project originated with singer-songwriter Jennifer Pague and channels introspective, shadowy material through atmospheric yet frequently expansive synth-pop arrangements occasionally colored by R&B inflections.
Pague spent her formative years, beginning in the mid-’90s, in the suburban community of Downington, Pennsylvania. Elementary-school choir participation preceded her study of both clarinet and saxophone. Exposure to Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys convinced her that her own voice carried comparable power. Parallel motivation arose from her grandmother and great-grandmother, both pianists, prompting her to take up the instrument as well. While studying abroad in Europe in 2012 she conceived the moniker Vita and the Woolf for her songwriting work—a composite literary nod to the modernist authors and lovers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.
Once back in the United States the ensemble expanded to seven members, yet successive departures prompted Pague to doubt her leadership. Intent on preserving an outlet for her music, she reduced the lineup to layered, synthesizer-driven compositions and recruited drummer Joey Anderson as sole additional participant. Early downtown Philadelphia performances placed the duo alongside local acts such as Black Stars, but Anderson exited in mid-2014. Several months afterward Pague enlisted Adam Shumski, who became a lasting collaborator.
While still attending college and residing with her parents, Pague self-released the Fang Song EP in late 2014. The recording secured the act a slot at the following year’s XPoNential Music Festival in Camden, New Jersey, which in turn led to a first nationwide tour in 2016. That tour was documented by a limited cassette EP, Pretty Boys, containing the imaginary-friend-themed song “Brett.” Throughout this period Pague balanced band activities with part-time employment at Philadelphia’s SpArc Services, an organization offering music instruction to young adults with developmental disabilities.
Subsequent higher-profile appearances included shared bills with Bell X1 and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The band then devoted more than six months to tracking its debut full-length, Tunnels, partially financed through crowdfunding and recorded primarily at Philadelphia’s Spice House Sound; the intimate track “Feline” was captured as a self-produced demo owing to budgetary constraints. Reviewers drew parallels between the album’s material and the work of Florence + The Machine, though Pague later described the finished record as a diluted realization of her intentions. After performing at SXSW in March 2018 the group entered a brief hiatus coinciding with its relocation to Los Angeles. In early 2020 Portland’s Tender Loving Empire issued the comparatively streamlined singles “Operator” and “Mess Up,” sonically reminiscent of Baltimore’s Beach House and serving as previews for the follow-up album Anna Ohio.
Pague spent her formative years, beginning in the mid-’90s, in the suburban community of Downington, Pennsylvania. Elementary-school choir participation preceded her study of both clarinet and saxophone. Exposure to Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys convinced her that her own voice carried comparable power. Parallel motivation arose from her grandmother and great-grandmother, both pianists, prompting her to take up the instrument as well. While studying abroad in Europe in 2012 she conceived the moniker Vita and the Woolf for her songwriting work—a composite literary nod to the modernist authors and lovers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.
Once back in the United States the ensemble expanded to seven members, yet successive departures prompted Pague to doubt her leadership. Intent on preserving an outlet for her music, she reduced the lineup to layered, synthesizer-driven compositions and recruited drummer Joey Anderson as sole additional participant. Early downtown Philadelphia performances placed the duo alongside local acts such as Black Stars, but Anderson exited in mid-2014. Several months afterward Pague enlisted Adam Shumski, who became a lasting collaborator.
While still attending college and residing with her parents, Pague self-released the Fang Song EP in late 2014. The recording secured the act a slot at the following year’s XPoNential Music Festival in Camden, New Jersey, which in turn led to a first nationwide tour in 2016. That tour was documented by a limited cassette EP, Pretty Boys, containing the imaginary-friend-themed song “Brett.” Throughout this period Pague balanced band activities with part-time employment at Philadelphia’s SpArc Services, an organization offering music instruction to young adults with developmental disabilities.
Subsequent higher-profile appearances included shared bills with Bell X1 and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The band then devoted more than six months to tracking its debut full-length, Tunnels, partially financed through crowdfunding and recorded primarily at Philadelphia’s Spice House Sound; the intimate track “Feline” was captured as a self-produced demo owing to budgetary constraints. Reviewers drew parallels between the album’s material and the work of Florence + The Machine, though Pague later described the finished record as a diluted realization of her intentions. After performing at SXSW in March 2018 the group entered a brief hiatus coinciding with its relocation to Los Angeles. In early 2020 Portland’s Tender Loving Empire issued the comparatively streamlined singles “Operator” and “Mess Up,” sonically reminiscent of Baltimore’s Beach House and serving as previews for the follow-up album Anna Ohio.
Albums
Singles
