Meg Duffy’s project Hand Habits has announced their new dirt EP for release on February 19, 2021. Along with the EP announced, a new music video for lead single “4th of july” has been released. The video was directed by V Haddad, while the track was co-produced by Duffy and Salami Ashworth.

The video features Duffy digging a hole, their soft voice accompanying an acoustic guitar. The track features calming tones, Duffy walking into a glowing yellow room as deep thrums of a drum beat knock twice. The song picks up in pace as Duffy embraces and dances with themself, digging the hole deeper and clawing at the dirt. Duffy winds up laying in the ground, seemingly at peace as they relax in the dirt. The reprise of the beginning is slightly altered by new sounds towards the end of the track, meant to symbolize a changing perspective, according to a press release.

“‘4th of july’ feels like trying again, rolling around in the wreckage of the past and finding new ways out of the maze of a memory,” Duffy said in a press statement. “For the video, I went to V and Adam and said I wanted to ‘just dig a hole’ and they turned that idea into a cinematic version of what it looks like to try and get to the bottom of a feeling.”

Hand Habits recorded the album while living with Ashworth and Kyle Thomas, with Thomas having a home studio. The three collaborated on the EP, with Ashworth producing “4th of july” and Thomas producing “i believe in you.”

The upcoming dirt EP follows Hand Habits’ 2019 album placeholder. Last July, Hand Habits joined Angel Olsen for a cover of Tom Petty’s “Walls” one of Olsen’s “Cosmic Stream” live stream concerts. Hand Habits also participated in the COVID-19 relief compilation The Song Is Coming From Inside The House, which had been released last April.

sadirt EP tracklist:

1. “4th of july”
2. “i believe in you”
3. “what’s the use (katie dey remix)” [digital only bonus track]

Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz