Hand Habits - Dirt EP

Dirt is the latest EP from Hand Habits, the songwriting project of Meg Duffy. Comprised of two songs, “4th of July,” a simmering swell of chaos and beauty and “I believe in you,” a favourite of Duffy’s from the Neil Young cannon, the EP finds the songwriter exploring themes of growth and finding ways to let go of the parts of their past that no longer serve them.

After cutting their teeth in the upstate New York d.i.y. music scene and several years of session and touring guitar work for Kevin Morby, and a long list of other artists, Duffy released their debut album Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void), a home-recorded, self-produced work that announced the project as a full-time affair.

While their follow-up album placeholder saw them working with producer Brad Cook at Justin Vernon’s April Base Studios and garnering praise from such outlets as NPR which called the work “their most fully realized statement” and the Los Angeles Times which praised the work as a “virtually seamless country-rock album, with verses moving fluidly into choruses that travel unimpeded across sparkling, architecturally sophisticated bridges.” Dirt showcases an artist returning to the fertile creative ground of their home.

However, this time around home-recording didn’t necessarily mean working in isolation. Duffy had relocated to a shared living situation in Los Angeles with musicians Sasami Ashworth and Kyle Thomas (King Tuff), which also housed Thomas’ studio. The resulting songs showcase this creatively collaborative environment, with Ashworth co-producing the title track and Thomas co-producing “I believe in
you.” Such is the strength of this relationship, in fact, that this new single just may serve as a bridge toward a greater body of work the three will ultimately create together.