Meg Duffy

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

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,[5] and in 2019 they played on William Tyler's instrumental album Goes West.[6] Duffy contributed guitar, slide guitar, and bass on the albums Fading Lines (2016) and European Heartbreak (2018) by Dutch artist Amber Arcades.[7][8] Duffy played slide guitar on "Seven Words", a 2016 track from the album Front Row Seat to Earth by Weyes Blood.[9] Duffy appeared on Mega Bog's albums Happy Together (2017) and Dolphine (2019).[10][11] 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.[12] Duffy collaborated with music Jenn Wasner on Wasner's second album as "Flock of Dimes", Head of Roses.[13]

Meg Duffy (center) performing with Hand Habits at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK in 2019

Duffy is the founder, primary songwriter, and only permanent member of the Los Angeles-based band Hand Habits.[15] Their first release as Hand Habits was a 2012 split record titled Small Shifts (included as part of the pinky demos).[16] On September 25, 2015, Hand Habits released double EPs titled This Sounds Like Nothing Tonight and This Sounds Like Nothing Before.[17][18] Their first full length record Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) was released by Woodsist Records in 2017.[19] Wildy Idle was self-produced by Duffy and recorded partially in Saugerties, New York and partially at their home in Highland Park.[14] 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".[20] 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".[19]

On March 1, 2019 Hand Habits released their second studio album, placeholder, produced by Brad Cook in Justin Vernon's Wisconsin studio.[21][22] Duffy stated that the songs on placeholder "are about accountability and forgiveness .... These are all real stories. I don't fictionalize much".[2]

In 2020, Hand Habits released singles "Pictures of Flowers", a collaboration with Jess Williamson,[23][24] and "Comfortable", a collaboration with Ryan Hemsworth.[25][26] They released their EP dirt in February 2021,[27] and in June of that same year, they released the singles "motherless" and "no reply", produced by Luke Temple and Jeremy Harris.[28]

Duffy's collaborative project with producer Joel Ford, yes/and, debuted with a self-titled album in July 2021.[29][30][31] In August 2021, Hand Habits announced their upcoming album Fun House, and released the first single "Aquamarine".[32][33]