Now That’s What I Call Little Hag by Little Hag (Bar/None Records)

Little Hag
Now That’s What I Call Little Hag
Bar/None Records

As abrasive as Avery Mandeville is with a lyrical torch of bonfire songs to lift up social change based on outdated convention and unnecessary expectations, Now That’s What I Call Little Hag is an album that serves as a line in the sand. Mandeville’s prose is up front, sometimes uncomfortable and every bit as relevant.

Take “The Machine,” for instance. It’s a song about a boyfriend breakup, an ode to her vibrator and a female connection that proves that human connection is necessary. Through this connection, she softly also takes a jab at the AI revolution through references of the machine.

The songs that surround this album are post-breakup explorations. She burns an ex at the stake with “You Blew It” and “Would It Kill You?” The song “Oops” talks about physical personas and why it’s such a personal thing. Mandeville performs best when she looks inward and cuts to the quick of society looking out. But a song like “God I’m So Annoying” leaves things at an introspective level of uncertainty and self deprecation.

Musically, Little Hag jumps all over the place and powerfully tackles punk rock as gracefully as they do disco and introspective rock. Each style serves as ammo to amplify the emotion of these stories and diary sessions.

This album was a way for Mandeville to exorcize the demons. But in doing so, she brought in a larger narrative that others could interpret and analyze into their own stories and perceptions. The songs are just sparks through unadulterated realism.