A spotlight interview with Jay of Baltimore's Bitter Tits, ahead of their appearance at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16.
How did you choose your band name?
Bitter tits; we chose it because we view the way the world works cynically, which leaves us no choice but to do what we want.
Who’s in the band, and what do you all play/do?
Jay(Jessica) on vocals/guitar, Pork Chops on drums (and bass on record recordings)
Where do you call home (geographically and musically)?
Baltimore, geographically. East and West Coast, musically.
Describe your sound in three words.
Punk / grunge / autobiographical
Tell us about your music.
‘Dance my pain away’ expresses the anxieties and thoughts of someone struggling to make ends meet and taking all that emotion out on the dance floor.
In the song ‘Fractured’ I tell the story of how I ended up with my jaw wired shut, and end with the line “Eat your heart out Kanye West” – as if my injury was worse than his.
What’s your local scene like — and how do you fit in, or stir it up?
Our local scene needs to be bigger with more venues! We play anywhere and everywhere in order to make this happen and make as much noise as possible!
If you could rip up the rulebook of the music industry, what’s the first thing you’d rewrite?
I’d make a platform/app for listening/discovering music where every artist is equally represented within their genre. A radio app that plays small local artists next to big artists.
What’s the wildest/strangest thing that’s ever happened at one of your gigs?
Our last LOUD WOMEN festival [Australia 2025], Sophie from R.U.B booked us and Vagina Dry some extra gigs. Vagina dry, Sophie, and us drove two hours to Bendigo. We got there, set up, ate food. And when it was time for doors to open, they shut us down due to no ticket sales. No worries! We drove to a nearby park to do a DIY show. After halfway setting up, the show gets moved to a local bar. Cool! We go there set up outside but need more power. We break down reset up inside and finally play our set at 10:30pm. We both played our hearts out for the little crowd that stayed. Fourth time’s a charm!
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far as a band?
Playing LOUD WOMEN Fest Australia!
What’s a dream gig or collaboration you must make happen before you die?
NOFX collab! Lady Lazarus collab..oh and we need a Bitter Tits/Vagina Dry split album
Dream lineup: you + three other acts (alive, dead, or imaginary). Who’s on the bill?
Bitter Tits + Lady Lazarus + Babes in Toyland + X
What’s next for you?
‘Fractured’ to be released April 2026. We are very focused on recording and releasing new music this year!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Don’t be emo… Be BITTER!
Catch Bitter Tits at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16