Hand Habits ‘Flower Glass’

Olivia here. Praise be to the lord, for pop culture matriarch and queen of our hearts Beyoncé has saved us all from the horrors of the world with one Instagram post. Draped in viridescent gauze like a 21st century Virgin Mary, she stares doe-eyed into the camera, arms cradling a swollen belly against a backdrop of flowers.  The news that the Carter dynasty will grow by two this year is a welcome piece of news to offset the relentless terribleness of late, and as Hadley Freeman put it in her article for the Guardian; ‘naturalism is not helpful right now – we need extreme fabulousness, and Beyoncé kneeling in front of a floral wreath in a veil and her lingerie is pretty much the minimum requirement to get through the next five minutes‘. Here here. All this excitement has put me in the mood for some relaxing music, and there’s no-one better to provide this than Hand Habits, pseudonym of singer-songwriter and guitar savant Meg Duffy. Her latest track ‘Flower Glass‘ is an education in restrained songwriting, with simple reverb heavy guitar and softly brushed percussion building to create a dreamlike, atmospheric base for her sweet lyrics to flat above. Her prowess as a guitar player is evident, never playing more than is absolute necessary. Duffy’s quietly plaintive vocals are exposed and fragile, particularly when she sings, ‘when I hold you like a flower, hold you like an hourglass’, perfectly encapsulating the vulnerability that comes from loving someone and being hyper aware of your flaws because of it. Beautifully unguarded, this track is a dream from start to end.