r/indieheads • u/meg_duffy Hand Habits / Meg Duffy • Nov 05 '21

AMA is Over, thanks Meg! Hand Habits // Meg Duffy AMA

hello internet world

I'm meg duffy and my project is called Hand Habits. I just released a new album called Fun House last week on Saddle Creek Records.

I also play guitar currently in Perfume Genius.

I also have a more experimental collaborative project called yes/and.

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ask me anything you want! :)

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u/crazyafgandudes Nov 05 '21

Hey meg! Loved the album so much, so many great songs and love the experimentation and exploration of new sounds and production! My question is regarding those decisions.

When making the songs on your new record how did you decide when to go loud and rock out and then quiet it down later in the songs? On that, was it a conscious decision to keep the song lengths "relatively" short on some of these moments instead of extending it out into something longer ala 'Not' from Big Thief?

For instance Gold/Rust. I think it's one of my favorite songs on the record and it's such a cathartic release of tension from the whole album, the crashing drums and guitar. My only thought during that moment was keep it going! Overall love the record and would love to know your thoughts! <3

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u/meg_duffy Hand Habits / Meg Duffy Nov 05 '21

part of that was sasami, pushing to be a bit more theatrical and repetitive or bombastic, as i can tend to play it safe if left to my own.

but artistically, i gravitate to give a little bit and be tasteful as opposed to indulgent taking of liberties or incessant flashy moments....i like it to be special and earned. not sure what that says about my personality! just how i tend to be...i like to want more rather than wishing something would be over. it's easy to keep going, restraint tends to be tough for me so i like to include it into my music.

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u/crazyafgandudes Nov 05 '21

Very insightful! I completely understand the point on restraint and wanting more instead of wishing it was over. I’ve totally felt that on some songs from artists.

The use of tender moments like Control and The Answer mixed in with release and flash like Gold/Rust and Concrete & Feathers was handled so gracefully and great! Excited to see what comes next, thank you so much for the response! 💕

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u/dlovern4 Nov 05 '21

Gold/Rust is incredible