SINGLE REVIEW: STEADY HABITS - STAY

Having been big fans of Loud Mountains, we've always kept an eye out for Sean Duggan, whether it be playing with Savannah Gardner or in his own right with his new band Steady Habits. Their latest single "Stay" is a definite little gem, combining a curious cross between 90's indie, touch of Ben Folds or Wheatus maybe with some country infused banjo to create a bizarre hybrid that we absolutely love.

The opening 30 seconds are built around a recurring electric guitar riff, gently played yet instantly addictive. Sean's vocals show those 90's influences but it only invites the listener to come deeper into the musical web that he is spinning, with an intriguing set of lyrics

"Where you walk, I’d follow all the way to your place

Up the back streets of town and under lavender gates

I can bring you a bottle or something to chase"

There's a definite sense of infatuation in that opening verse, that gives way to reflection and internalising by the time we reach the second.

"Is this real or is it just in my head?

‘Cause surely we’re more than two bodies on a single sized bed

And I think I know you now

The way I thought I did"

and by the third, the signs are there that this may be temporary yet reason does not seem to be kicking in.

"There’s clothes on the floor

And the clock is running late

There’s a picture of your boyfriend in a popsicle frame

But in spite of it all, I’d like to stay"

The sound steadily, builds, percussion joins the second verse, and an array of guitars kick in upping the volume on the third including a pedal steel. By the time of the fourth verse we are in full Wheatus mode yet all the time that original hook remains present

The lyrics are sheer poetry never more so then when

"The houses sit poised out on an empty street

The neighbors upstairs scraping the balls of their feet"

Sean's vocals perfectly capture those feelings of infatuation, confusion with just the slightest change of inflection

With prominent banjos on the outro and a sudden ending - this is one of favourite singles of the year so far!