Lust Hag Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?

Lust Hag is a raw black metal project I started on a whim one day. It’s a way for me to get out what I’m feeling about certain issues in my life, and probably a lot of trans people’s lives. The lyrics are mostly trans allegories through the tale of vampires and concepts of harsh climate.

2.Soo far with this project you have put out a couple of releases, musically how do they differ from each other?

Mistress in the Mirror is really just a more fleshed out and complete version of what the demo I released was. It’s entirely new material but the same sort of sounds can be found that were used in Lascivious Nocturnality. “Mistress” is much more personal to me and has a lot more thought and emotion put into it, as well as what I think is much stronger songwriting and musicianship. I really just put myself completely out there for this release and am so excited to share it with the world. 

3.You are also involved with plenty of musical projects playing many different musical styles, can you tell us a little bit more about the different music genres you have worked with so far?

I’ve been a musician my whole life but I got my start performing in 2018 playing harsh noise shows with a good friend. From there I have pretty much made anything and everything that has come to my mind. Harsh noise/ambient, Hip/hop, indie rock, electro pop, house, speedcore, etc. As for the black metal stuff, I have always been into heavy music but only recently have dipped my toes into making it myself. That’s probably due to my newfound skills and competence of playing in a live band over the past couple years. 

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the  music?

So far Lust Hag is lyrically pretty broad, ranging from the harsh climate that every trans person is surrounded by each day, to the process of transitioning in and of itself. I’ve been able to speak on these topics by telling stories about vampirization, cold landscapes, isolation, storms, and plenty of other metaphors.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lust Hag'?

I wanted a name that was also maybe a bit of a character. I am trying to create a whole canonical universe relating to the hag herself (me) and each song sort of evolves the story along. 

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

It’s an image of my reflection. I didn’t want to put too much thought into it but it all comes back to the concept of the Mistress in the Mirror. After coming out as trans I sort of had this moment of clarity, like everything in my life leading up to that moment suddenly made sense. If a vampire can’t be seen in a reflection, then the mirror that the mistress is in, isn’t a mirror at all. She is looking in from the outside and the viewer turns out to be the one “in the mirror” unable to see their own reality that the mistress lives in. Once you find clarity in yourself, you wake up in reality in Lust Hags world. 

7.With this project you record everytying by yourself, are you open to working with other musicains or do you prefe rto work solo?

I did actually have another musician work on this project with me, albeit extremely briefly. Blood Crazed Cleric is who provided the guitar solo on the song “Wilting Flower in a Forgotten Landscape.” I’m also in a four-piece punk band called Infinite Ammo and we don’t get to practice or play together as often as I think we’d all like to. I’m not opposed to playing with other people, I actually love it. I’m also not the kind of girl to wait around for someone else to do something for me. I don’t like to depend on others to get the results I want musically so I’ll probably always have some sort of solo project going. I love the way our styles combine to create Infinite Ammo songs, but I also love the way my solo music represents me entirely. I put my everything into these songs. 

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

I have been so surprised at the response and reaction to the Lust Hag demo. I recently put out a demo tape of death metal songs called Desire Line, self-released it on cassette, and spent a bunch of time and money on it. A week later I fucked around, recorded three black metal songs in one morning, and released it as Lust Hag for fun the next day. To my surprise, Lust Hag completely overshadowed the Desire Line tape and has gotten me recognition in places I would have never expected in my life. I’ve had Bandcamp downloads and purchases from Ukraine, Australia, Italy, and so many more far away places. It’s also popping up on YouTube channels and blogs and music rating sites and all of that stuff. The community has been extremely supportive as well I’ve noticed. Fellow Montana black metal act Uamh is a huge reason I was ever on Fiadh’s radar. And Fiadh Productions has already done so much for me and made me feel like part of the family. 

9.What is going on with some of your other musical projects these days?

Infinite Ammo is actually about to head out on a little 4 day mini-tour with Reaping Fields from Spokane, Washington. We’ve also been writing and gearing up to record our second EP. There’s a couple Lust Hag tunes coming out soon for some Trans Lifeline benefit comps. I also might just abandon the Desire Line project entirely, who knows? 

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

A LOT more Lust Hag music. I’ve already begun recording a full length that I would like to have done and ready to send out by the end of Summer. Each time I write a new song, it is more fun than the last one. This project has reinstated my childlike tendency to explore and experiment with my music while also basically being my therapy. It’s such a cathartic escape for me. I have been recording music for about 9 years now, but with Lust Hag, I feel I have finally found my voice through music.

Bandcamp