Hand Habits’ Gothic Synth Opus “Aquamarine” Casts Shadows of Intense Memory

It’s the lead single from “Fun House,” which is coming on October 22 via Saddle Creek.
Hand Habits’ Gothic Synth Opus “Aquamarine” Casts Shadows of Intense Memory

It’s the lead single from “Fun House,” which is coming on October 22 via Saddle Creek.

Words: Margaret Farrell

photo by Jacob Boll

August 03, 2021

Meg Duffy, a.k.a Hand Habits, released their last album Placeholder in 2019, and today, the musician returns with news of their follow-up titled Fun House, as well as the lead single “Aquamarine.” Based on the new song—which is a bit post-punk in its opening, with gothic percussion that’s lightened by Duffy’s gentle vocals and synth embellishments—Fun House could be their most experimental (and exciting) album to date. The new album, which was produced with SASAMI‘s Sasami Ashworth and engineered by King Tuff‘s Kyle Thomas, was a reaction to the pandemic—a period where isolation and the stoppage of the world brought up everything Duffy hadn’t had time and space to acknowledge. “I slammed on the brakes and everything psychologically that I’d been pushing down and ignoring for the past few years suddenly flew to the foreground,” they said.

“Aquamarine,” gives us snapshots of Duffy’s intense period of reflection, as if we’re inside their brain watching the shadows of memories dance on their cranium wall. There’s mention of a drunken man, a cousin sending a box of memories, a call from a payphone, and battered knees. We’re there along with Duffy as they make sense of their past, but there’s still many questions. “Now I never ask for details / Who the hell needs details,” they sing. Even without a clear narrative, “Aquamarine” is a song that keeps giving with each listen. Similarly, the accompanying video is a cathartic exploration of a certain space, one very significant to Duffy’s upbringing: “We filmed this video in my aunt’s bar and club in upstate New York, linking the origin and lineage themes in the song with the visuals of changing identities and characters in a space I used to wander as a teen.”

Watch the video for “Aquamarine” below and pre-order Fun House here.