by Anna Solomon (@chateau.fiasco)
Meg Duffy is the songwriter behind the project Hand Habits, as well as a session guitarist with credits including The War On Drugs and Weyes Blood. Now, after working with guitarist Gregory Uhlmann in Hand Habits, as well as the touring band for Perfume Genius, the two have recorded an album under the name Duffy x Uhlmann. The project is a tranquil folksy wander, just the two of them playing simple hypnotic interlocking lines that develop a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It rarely feels busy, even if there is subtle virtuosity in their musical chemistry.
The second single, “In the Spirit of Fair Play” is characteristically sparse, but it’s one of the album’s quickest moments, both in tempo and length. The two musicians lock into each other with country-ish chicken-picked arpeggios, establishing a rolling groove. The piece doesn’t have (or need) much in the way of sections, as the guitarists take one idea and let it develop. The music peters out about as naturally as it rises, and even with such a brief run time, it says all it needs to say.
Speaking about the song, the duo shared:
“Conceived initially as a 15 minute long acoustic improvisation in a cold garage in Northern California and manipulated down into a dancey after thought, the closer track from Doubles is into a testament to processing. ‘In the Spirit of Fair Play’ speaks to seeing things from all sides, and challenges our biases about what something can become, the ever unavoidable unknown.”
The band are set to play their first show together on September 10th in Los Angeles at 2220 Arts and Archives with Dear Nora & Ruth Garbus! Duffy x Uhlmann’s Doubles is out September 22nd via Orindal Records.