Meg Duffy Explained

Meg Duffy
Birth Place:Amsterdam, New York
Instrument:Guitar, Slide Guitar, Piano, Bass
Genre:Folk, indie folk, indie-rock
Occupation:Musician
Years Active:2013–present
Label:Woodsist Records, Saddle Creek, Fat Possum
Associated Acts:Hand Habits, Kevin Morby, William Tyler, The War on Drugs, Amber Arcades, Mega Bog

Meg Duffy is an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, Perfume Genius, Sasami, and William Tyler, among many others. Duffy was a longtime member of Kevin Morby's live band, is a current member of Perfume Genius's band, and is the sole member of indie-rock band Hand Habits.[1]

Background

Duffy is originally from Amsterdam, New York, and first started playing guitar at 17, although they had played drums since 5th grade.[2] After graduating from high school, Duffy attended Schenectady County Community College for guitar performance as the only female student in the program. After graduating from college they briefly relocated to Albany, New York, prior to joining Morby's band in Los Angeles, California. Duffy uses non-binary gender-neutral pronouns.[3] [4]

Session work

Duffy is credited on a number of albums as a session musician. They played a slide guitar solo on "Holding On" off The War on Drugs' Grammy-winning album A Deeper Understanding, and in 2019 they played on William Tyler's instrumental album Goes West.[5] Duffy contributed guitar, slide guitar, and bass on the albums Fading Lines (2016) and European Heartbreak (2018) by Dutch artist Amber Arcades.[6] [7] Duffy played slide guitar on "Seven Words", a 2016 track from the album Front Row Seat to Earth by Weyes Blood.[8] Duffy appeared on Mega Bog's albums Happy Together (2017) and Dolphine (2019).[9] [10] Duffy was a regular member of indie rock musician Kevin Morby's live band from 2015 to 2018, and played guitar, piano, and bass on his 2017 album City Music.[11]

Duffy collaborated with music Jenn Wasner on Wasner's second album as Flock of Dimes, Head of Roses.[12] They are also heavily featured in Sylvan Esso's expanded live band from their WITH tour, of which a full-length concert film and double LP WITH was released. Duffy also performed on the follow-up EP, WITH LOVE.

Their other latest credits include playing guitar on SASAMI's album Squeeze, Christian Lee Hutson's Quitters, Weyes Blood's And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, Mega Bog's Life, and Another, Hurray for the Riff Raff's The Past Is Still Alive, and many more.

Hand Habits

Duffy is the founder, primary songwriter, and only permanent member of the Los Angeles-based band Hand Habits.[13] Their first release as Hand Habits was a 2012 split record titled Small Shifts (included as part of the pinky demos).[14] On September 25, 2015, Hand Habits released double EPs titled This Sounds Like Nothing Tonight and This Sounds Like Nothing Before.[15] [16]

Wildly Idle (2017)

Their first full length record Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) was released by Woodsist Records in 2017.[17]

Wildly Idle was self-produced by Duffy and recorded partially in Saugerties, New York and partially at their home in Highland Park. Kevin Morby said about the album: "Wildly Idle feels incredibly intimate, like a secret between her and the listener. It hits soft, like warm water, and before you know it it is all around you – a bath, and Meg's whisper has made its way inside you".[18] In reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Quinn Moreland wrote: "Duffy sings of romances come and gone without ever sounding jaded or spiteful; future love promises a mystery, a sensuality that’s open like the road".

placeholder (2019)

On March 1, 2019 Hand Habits released their second studio album, placeholder, produced by Brad Cook in Justin Vernon's Wisconsin studio.[19] [20] Duffy stated that the songs on placeholder "are about accountability and forgiveness .... These are all real stories. I don't fictionalize much".[21]

2020 to 2021

In 2020, Hand Habits released singles "Pictures of Flowers", a collaboration with Jess Williamson,[22] [23] and "Comfortable", a collaboration with Ryan Hemsworth.[24] [25] They released their EP dirt in February 2021,[26] and in June of that same year, they released the singles "motherless" and "no reply", produced by Luke Temple and Jeremy Harris.[27]

yes/and (2021)

Duffy's collaborative project with producer Joel Ford, yes/and, debuted with a self-titled album in July 2021.[28] [29] [30]

Fun House (2021)

In August 2021, Hand Habits announced their upcoming album Fun House, and released the first single "Aquamarine".[31] [32] The album, which was produced by Sasami and engineered by Kyle Thomas, was released on October 22, 2021.[33] In their positive review of the album, Pitchfork noted: "[''Fun House] embodies all Duffy’s gifts at once, bringing their virtuosic talent into their own wheelhouse, on their own terms."[34] The FADER dubbed the album a "breakthrough," with Shaad D'Souza writing that the album is "lush, bright, in constant forward motion, in a constant state of change... Duffy’s third and best record, it possesses some grimy, earthen magic."[35]

2022

On September 14, 2022, Hand Habits released two new songs "Greatest Weapon," a song about "coming to grips with the dance of time," [36] and "Under The Water" via Sylvan Esso's Psychic Hotline label.[37] The latter track is a collaboration between Duffy and Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath.[38]

Sugar the Bruise (2023)

In March 2023, Hand Habits announced a six-track album Sugar the Bruise, which was released by Fat Possum on June 16.[39] The record was co-produced by Duffy and Luke Temple, with additional production from Philip Weinrobe and Jeremy Harris, and was recorded at Panoramic House Studios in Stinson Beach, CA.[40] [41] Of the album, Paste Magazine writes, "these chapters are personal, droll, flushed and cresting; wondrously experimental and deftly consummate; a skyline of everydayness... Duffy paves a new slate, growing slowly into subversive song constructions and articulating how a body might begin tumbling through familiar habitats with a romantic, curious and joyous eye."

Equipment

In a 2017 interview, Duffy stated they play a Fender Lone Star Stratocaster with a rosewood fretboard.[42] The guitar, they stated, is set up with Seymour Duncan pickups in a HSS configuration (a single coil at the neck position, a single coil in the middle position and a humbucker at the bridge position.), also known as a “fat strat.”

Discography (as Hand Habits)

LP

EP

Singles

Live albums

Additional credits and collaborations

Full list of additional credits/collaborations showing year, album, artist, and credit

YearAlbumArtistCredit
2024Big For YouZselaGuitar
2024The Cool Cloud of OkaynessTara Jane O'NeilGuitar Processor 10
2024sentimentClaire RousayGuitar
2024The Past Is Still AliveHurray for the Riff RaffGuitar (Electric); Background Vocals, Synthesizer; Slide Guitar
2023End of EverythingMega BogGuitar
2022SqueezeSASAMIGuitar
2022QuittersChristian Lee HutsonGuitar (Electric)
2022GreenevilleAngel Olsen, Lucinda WilliamsVocals
2022And in the Darkness, Hearts AglowWeyes BloodGuitar
2021yes/andyes/andGuitar (Electric), Loops, Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (baritone). Production
2021DirtHand HabitsPrimary Artist
2021Life, and AnotherMega BogGroup Member, Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
2021I Want the Door to OpenLala LalaEngineer
2021It's Not So HardChris CohenGuitar
2021No ReplyHand HabitsGuitar, Vocals, Composer, Synthesizer, Loops
2021MotherlessHand HabitsPrimary Artist
2021Neighborhood WatchGregory UhlmannVocals
2021Fun HouseHand HabitsComposer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Nashville), Slide Guitar, Vocals
2020WITH LOVESylvan EssoGuitar
2020WITHSylvan EssoGuitar, Musician, Primary Artist
2020The FountainNight ShopGuitar
2020Quarter-Life CrisisQuarter-Life CrisisComposer
2020BeginnersChristian Lee HutsonGuitar (Electric)
2020You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like ThisMirahPrimary Artist, Producer
2019Pictures of FlowersHand Habits / Jess WilliamsonPrimary Artist
2019VagabonVagabonGuitar Loops, Slide Guitar, Textural Sampling
2019PlaceholderHand HabitsProducer, Bird Calls, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Baritone), Loop, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Sounds, Synthesizer, Vocals
2019Oh My GodKevin MorbyGuitar
2019Heartbreak CityApex ManorEngineer, Group Member, Guitars
2019Gold Past LifeFruit BatsGuitar
2019Goes WestWilliam TylerGuitar (Electric), Loop
2019Every WomanVagabonSlide Guitar
2019DolphineMega BogPerformer
2018European HeartbreakAmber ArcadesSlide Guitar, Bass
2017Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void)Hand HabitsArranger, Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Producer
2017Yr HeartHand HabitsPrimary Artist
2017Holding OnThe War on DrugsSlide Guitar
2017City MusicKevin MorbyGuitar, Piano, Bass, Vocals
2017A Deeper UnderstandingThe War on DrugsSlide Guitar
2016Front Row Seat to EarthWeyes BloodSlide Guitar
2016Fading LinesAmber ArcadesGuitar
2014Small ShiftsHand HabitsPrimary Artist, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Arranger, Mixing, Synthesizers, Samples
[43] [44]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hand Habits' Meg Duffy Is Your Favorite Indie Rocker's Favorite Guitarist. Pitchfork. March 6, 2019. 7 March 2019.
  2. Web site: If You Like Being Chill, You'll Love This Band Guitarist Meg Duffy Started. Lomberg. Cory. January 11, 2017. Noisey. 7 March 2019.
  3. Web site: Meg Duffy of Hand Habits Embraces the Undefinable. FLOOD. 7 March 2019.
  4. Web site: Hand Habits' Meg Duffy: Guitar Poetry. Adam. Perlmutter. premierguitar.com. March 28, 2017. 7 March 2019.
  5. Web site: William Tyler: Goes West. Pitchfork. 7 March 2019.
  6. Web site: Fading Lines – Amber Arcades Credits. AllMusic. 7 March 2019.
  7. Web site: European Heartbreak – Amber Arcades Credits. AllMusic. 7 March 2019.
  8. Web site: Weyes Blood: Front Row Seat to Earth. Pitchfork. 7 March 2019.
  9. Web site: Mega Bog: Happy Together. February 6, 2017. April 10, 2020. Pitchfork. Quinn. Moreland.
  10. Web site: Mega Bog: Dolphine. July 3, 2019. April 10, 2020. Pitchfork. Quinn. Moreland.
  11. Web site: City Music – Kevin Morby Credits. AllMusic. 7 March 2019.
  12. Web site: "Album Review: Flock of Dimes, 'Head of Roses'" . April 8, 2021 . August 5, 2021.
  13. Web site: Hand Habits. Hand Habits. 7 March 2019.
  14. Web site: Small Shifts, by Hand Habits. Hand Habits. 7 March 2019.
  15. Web site: This Sounds Nothing Like Before, by Hand Habits. Hand Habits. 7 March 2019.
  16. Web site: This Sounds Nothing Like Tonight, by Hand Habits. Hand Habits. 7 March 2019.
  17. Web site: Hand Habits: Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void). Pitchfork. 7 March 2019.
  18. Web site: Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void), by Hand Habits. Hand Habits. 7 March 2019.
  19. Web site: Hand Habits: placeholder. Pitchfork. 7 March 2019.
  20. Web site: Hand Habits Makes Its Most Fully-Realized Statement on Placeholder . NPR . February 21, 2019 . August 6, 2021 . Sandstrom, Adelaide.
  21. Web site: placeholder . 7 March 2019 . Saddle Creek.
  22. Web site: Jess Williamson and Hand Habits unite on "Pictures of Flowers" . Schmidtke, Aaron . June 26, 2020 . August 6, 2021 . Earmilk.
  23. Web site: Jess Williamson Shares New Song "Pictures of Flowers" Feat. Hand Habits . Paste Magazine . Pikus, Lia . June 24, 2020 . August 6, 2021.
  24. Web site: Quarter-Life Crisis – "Comfortable" (Feat. Hand Habits) . Stereogum . August 6, 2021 . November 12, 2020 . Breihan, Tom.
  25. Web site: Ryan Hemsworth's Quarter-Life Crisis Shares Hand Habits Collaboration "Comfortable" . Gregory, Allie . November 12, 2020 . August 6, 2021 . Exclaim!.
  26. News: Gallagher. Alex . January 19, 2021 . Hand Habits announces new EP dirt, shares lead single . . 20 January 2021.
  27. Web site: Listen to Hand Habits' new single: "motherless" & "no reply" . Brooklyn Vegan . Pearis, Bill . June 14, 2021 . August 6, 2021.
  28. Web site: Yes/And – "Ugly Orange" & "Centered Shell" . Stereogum . April 23, 2021 . Rettig, James . August 7, 2021.
  29. Web site: Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Joel Ford Are Casually Methodical . Talkhouse . July 22, 2021 . August 7, 2021.
  30. Web site: Hand Habits and Joel Ford Form New Project Yes/And, Share Songs: Listen . Bloom, Madison . April 23, 2021 . Pitchfork . August 5, 2021.
  31. Web site: Hand Habits – "Aquamarine" . Stereogum . August 5, 2021 . August 3, 2021 . Leas, Ryan.
  32. Web site: Hand Habits Preview New Album With Tender Dancefloor Tune 'Aquamarine' . Blistein, Jon . August 3, 2021 . August 6, 2021 . Rolling Stone.
  33. Web site: Hand Habits' Meg Duffy discusses the inspirations behind new LP 'Fun House' . Brooklyn Vegan . Pearis, Bill . October 22, 2021 . October 15, 2022.
  34. Web site: Hand Habits: Fun House . 2023-01-04 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  35. Web site: Inside Hand Habits' Fun House . 2023-01-04 . The FADER . en.
  36. Web site: Hand Habits enlists Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath for new split single . 2023-01-04 . The FADER . en.
  37. Web site: Hand Habits Release Two New Tracks for Sylvan Esso's Psychic Hotline Single Series . Farrell, Margaret . September 14, 2022 . October 15, 2022 . Flood Magazine.
  38. Web site: Hand Habits enlists Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath for new split single . Darville, Jordan . September 14, 2022 . October 15, 2022 . Fader Magazine.
  39. Web site: 2023-03-27 . Hand Habits Announces Tour Dates and Sugar the Bruise, Shares New Song . 2023-06-18 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  40. Web site: Mitchell . Matt . Hand Habits Soften the Ache . 2023-06-18 . Paste Magazine . en-US.
  41. Web site: Murray . Robin . 2023-03-28 . Hand Habits Announces New Mini-Album 'Sugar The Bruise' News . 2023-06-18 . Clash Magazine . en-GB.
  42. Web site: Hand Habits' Meg Duffy: Guitar Poetry. Adam. Perlmutter. premierguitar.com. March 28, 2017. 7 March 2019.
  43. Web site: Hand Habits Credits . 2023-01-04 . AllMusic . en.
  44. Web site: Meg Duffy Credits . 2023-01-04 . AllMusic . en.