Blue Reminder (Vinyl LP)

Those watching the trajectory of Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy will have been thrilled to see their skills being summoned by the likes of Perfume Genius, The National’s Matt Berninger, and Trace Mountains. Now, Duffy has announced their first Hand Habits LP since Fun House landed in 2021, with Blue Reminder scheduled to arrive this August on Fat Possum. New single Wheel Of Change hints at the expansive new sounds on display, while reminding us that there’s nobody who plays and sings quite like Meg. - Flying Out

The twelve songs on Blue Reminder walk a kind of emotional tightrope between hope and a kind of quiet anxiety, the record itself batting around the question of what one does when happiness actually comes knocking. At the core of these songs the genuine joy of love and self-actualization are always balanced against the potential fear of losing those things once you’ve found them.

This collection of songs largely eschew the more insular nature of earlier Hand Habits records, instead veering into the guitar-forward vibe of 90’s indie rock, with deftly assured songs that could exist in the same sonic universe with Aimee Mann or Neko Case, with the sort of left of center shifts in tone and lyrical observations that would not be out of place on a Cate Le Bon tune. Throughout the songs, guitars fuzz, drums move to the forefront, and the occasional horn or wurlitzer pass through. Everything feels elevated.

Tracklist

1. More Today
2. Wheel of Change
3. Nubble
4. Dead Rat
5. Jasmine Blossoms
6. Way It Goes
7. (Forgiveness)
8. Beauty 62
9. Bluebird of Happiness
10. Blue Reminder
11. Quiet Summer
12. Living Proof