The immediate casual-cadence and bass primacy to this groove reminds me a bit of Morphine, but the deeply moving nature of the chorus harmony and the immediate hook feels very unique to the songwriter’s own persona. Hand Habits releases their newest single “can’t calm down”, and it is an impeccably-delivered exploration of self-doubt, that hard-to-resist existential question of whether anything really matters at all.

If you don’t look around right now with a healthy cynicism about whether truth-telling is even a thing anymore, you aren’t paying attention. A song like this is a healthy reaction to the sensory overload that is a day in the life of the next generation. It has a nostalgic feeling of both being stuck, and that there is something quintessentially better just over the horizon.

What if I can’t calm down
And I don’t have that in my bloodline?

This folkish indie-rock drop from LA’s Hand Habits will sooth you into a paradox of pain and pleasure: first you will fear that the past is gone forever, and then you won’t care, because music.

Meg Duffy grew up in a small town in upstate New York, cutting her teeth as a session guitarist and touring member of Kevin Morby’s band. The Hand Habits project emerged after Meg moved to Los Angeles; it started as a private songwriting outlet but soon evolved into a fully-fledged band with Meg at the helm. This song is featured on our Lost Treasure - Indie Rock playlist.