Potty Mouth (band)

Potty Mouth

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	2011
Founder	Ally Einbinder, Phoebe Harris
Headquarters	Western Massachusetts , United States
Products	Music albums, EPs, singles

Potty Mouth was a pop rock group originating from Western Massachusetts, established in 2011 at Smith College. The founding members were Ally Einbinder on bass, Phoebe Harris handling lead guitar and vocals, Abby Weems as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Victoria Mandanas on drums. Following the departures of Harris and later Ali Donohue, the ensemble continued as a trio with Weems assuming lead guitar duties.

History

The band was initiated by Smith College students Ally Einbinder and Phoebe Harris in 2011, soon joined by drummer Victoria Mandanas and frontwoman Abby Weems on vocals and guitar. By September 2011, they had recorded a set of four demo songs. The name "Potty Mouth" was independently created by Harris, unrelated to the similarly titled Bratmobile album.

Their first full-length album, Hell Bent, was released in 2013 and garnered favorable reviews from critics. The self-titled EP issued in 2015 reflected a shift in the lineup after Harris's exit and was supported by tours featuring guest rhythm guitarists. During this era, Potty Mouth secured a distribution arrangement with Alternative Distribution Alliance and drew attention from Atlantic Records. In 2016, they toured alongside Beach Slang and made their debut at the major festival Lollapalooza.

On March 1, 2019, their sophomore album SNAFU was launched, featuring singles such as "22" and "Starry Eyes," which received strong praise from critics. Pitchfork awarded it a 7.2 score, describing it as "an arena-sized follow up that sounds like a major-label effort without all the compromises," while i-D hailed it as "a career-defining moment for the Massachusetts band."

Potty Mouth officially disbanded on October 28, 2021. Their concluding EP, titled 1% Happier, was released shortly after on November 19, 2021.

Style

Both Einbinder and Weems have dismissed the classification of their music under the riot grrrl genre. Einbinder criticized this label as a "lazy conflation" based solely on gender and musical style. Weems attributed this association to the lo-fi nature of their early recordings.

In a review by Pitchfork of Hell Bent, Jenn Pelly characterized Weems's vocal style as reminiscent of Liz Phair’s monotone delivery paired with "deceptively simple lyrics." Ben Rayner from the Toronto Star observed that Weems’s vocal approach often conveyed a sense of scorn through her eye-rolling expression. Jenn and Liz Pelly further likened the band's sound to pop-punk and post-punk genres, with subtle influences drawn from surf music.

Members

Final lineup

• Abby Weems – lead vocals, guitar (2011–2021)
• Ally Einbinder – bass (2011–2021)
• Victoria Mandanas – drums, backing vocals (2011–2021)

Final touring member

• Kate Meizner – guitar, backing vocals (2014–2021)

Former members

• Phoebe Harris – guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (2011–2014)
• Ali Donohue – guitar, backing vocals (2014)

Timeline

Studio albums

• Hell Bent (2013)
• SNAFU (2019)

Extended plays

• Sun Damage (2012)
• Potty Mouth (2015)
• 1% Happier (2021)

Singles

• "The Spins" (2013)
• "Black and Studs" (2013)
• "Damage" (2013)
• "Cherry Picking" (2015)
• "Smash Hit" (2016)
• "22" (2019)
• "Starry Eyes" (2019)
• "I Wanna" (2019)
• "Favorite Food" (2019)
• "Let Go" (2021)
• "Contessa Barefoot" (2021)
• "Not Going Anywhere" (2021)

Live releases

• The Wild Honey Pie Buzzsession (2019)