“Something Wrong” – Hand Habits

Thumpy, minimal, and deliberate at the outset, “Something Wrong” turns melodic and bittersweet in the chorus. The song’s instrumental and structural diversity is a subtle super power here; we get gently strummed acoustic guitars and crunchy electric guitars mingling agreeably, with austere synthesizer lines waiting in the wings, while the time signature bump in the verse, with its 6/4 insertions, keeps the ear off-balance (in a good way). The brief a capella break at 1:01 resets the vibe and leads into some subtle but terrific vocal harmonies. That insistent instrumental lead at 1:26, running through the verse without the vocals, is either a synth or a processed guitar of some kind; at 2:14, it’s definitely the synthesizer, offering a new melodic line and–listen for it–a plucky banjo in the background mix. The song’s hypnotic veneer masks over its variegated elements, coalescing in the plaintive beauty of the simple chorus.

Hand Habits is the name guitarist Meg Duffy uses for their solo work. Highly credentialed as a session guitarist for the likes of the War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, and Perfume Genius, they were also lead guitarist in Kevin Morby’s live band from 2015 to 2018. “Something Wrong” is a track from the six-song EP Sugar the Bruise, which was released in June. MP3 via KEXP.

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“Something Wrong” – Hand Habits

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