Hand Habits

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Meg Duffy's second Hand Habits album offers some of the most insightful commentary you are likely to hear on the tumults and vicissitudes of the human heart.

Duffy's latest full-length album, placeholder, is a lethargic collection of breezy soft rock, one that's free of excess.

On the surface, ‘Placeholder’, is a directly compassionate and earnest listen, produced in part by the straightforward exposition of latent lyrical themes around forgiveness, fragility and suffering but also in the warm harmonies, skilled guitar work and a newly reinforced studio setup.

With Duffy’s versatile playing and open lyricism, placeholder takes the listener around a roving map of troubles, and delivers body blows at each destination.

Meg Duffy’s humble, comforting vocals will help cushion the blow that will inevitably come with any relationship, and their poetic aptitude results in a record that’s just as therapeutic and affecting on the written page as it is in sung form.

Hand Habits’ sophomore record, placeholder, is a relaxed, if often pent-up art pop record with lush and addictively dense production.

Anxiety swirls through these songs about non-normative relationships, the unease countered by a bucolic mix of pleasing melodies, soft guitars, and gentle vocals.

Placeholder sees Hand Habits grow from the solo project of session and touring guitarist Meg Duffy to an official band ... The resulting album has a fuller sound, though it's still distinctly intimate.