How a trans indie-rock star made the record of their life, with the help of some new housemates
LOS ANGELES — Last year Meg Duffy, who performs as Hand Habits and uses they/them pronouns, was given pair of gold earrings that sent a jolt of energy through their system and helped birth a song called "Gold/Rust."
They belonged to Duffy's late mother and were the first objects of hers that the guitarist, who until recently was better known for their work with the War on Drugs, Kevin Morby and Weyes Blood, had held in decades.
Duffy, 31, started pondering the talismans while living at the Log Mansion, the Mt. Washington home and studio overlooking the Arroyo Seco that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic they've shared with the artists Sasami Ashworth, 31, and Kyle "King Tuff" Thomas, 38. A year earlier in an Instagram post, Duffy had offered a revelatory, and rare, snapshot of their early life: "It's my mothers birthday she passed away when i was 4 and basically
