Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void)

Once a year, deep in the lush, forever-nostalgic terrain of Big Sur, the Woodsist record label hosts a festival. It’s a perfect fit since Woodsist’s roster reflects the sounds of slightly psychedelic, sun-dripped throwbacks to 1970s rowdy rock and charmingly listless folk. Hand Habits (Meg Duffy) falls in the latter camp. Duffy has spent the last couple years flawlessly shredding on lead guitar for Kevin Morby (formerly of Woods), all the while tinkering with her own project. After recording all the basic tracks in a living room back in her main turf of upstate New York, Duffy relocated to her new LA home and finished up the record. That intimate approach and a blend of east and west feels evident on Wildly Idle. It’s a balanced mix of plain folk with simple beats below, with the occasional breakthrough of rock-inclined ferocity (“All The While”). Duffy’s vocal delivery is grounded and often layered for a dreamy effect. It calls something old to mind, but it’s hard to pin down what.