Tiny Habits – ‘Keepers’ review: hushed harmony-makers stride into sunny new sound

Ever since their fated formation in the hallowed stairwells of the Berklee College Of Music back in 2021, Tiny Habits have invited us to slow down.

Whether you’ve scrolled onto their viral folk-infused covers to hear those divinely dissonant harmonies, been entranced by their backing vocals for indie darling Lizzy McAlpine or, most recently, watched clips of them singing the first dance song at the wedding of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy and Gabbriette Bechtel, the trio’s seemingly destined voices insist you stop and listen.

READ MORE: London MC Kibo is on a mission to bring “a sense of magic” to life’s mundanity Yet, while they have contributed many a beautiful “harmony on somebody’s story”, as they put it to NME in their 2024 Cover interview , with debut album ‘All For Something’, Tiny Habits proved they had just as much to say with their own profound lyrics as they did their wow-factor cover harmonies.

And on second album ‘Keepers’, the tight-knit trio of Cinya Khan, Maya Rae and Judah Mayowa dial up the volume to drive that home.

Where their debut found Tiny Habits emerging somewhat timidly from the introverted folk-pop haze of the post-pandemic years, ‘Keepers’ feels like they’re strutting into town clad in flared sequinned bodysuits and tinted sunglasses.

Magnetic opener ‘Love Ruins Everything’ drops an Earth, Wind & Fire -sized glitter bomb on Tiny Habits’ measured realism, turning observations on the mundanity of modern relationships ( “closest to love is a nine to five” ) into a hip-popping, trumpet-filled disco banger.

The sensual sizzle of ‘Belt Loop’ simmers into its own R&B groove, as Rae goes full diva in a heated swirl of post-breakup possibility.

Even with this fresh influx of energy, the group’s perceptive lyricism still quietens the noise.

The crisp acapella intro of ‘Right In Front Of Me’ may evoke ABBA ’s greatest hits, but sensory details like “got the taste of vodka still in my mouth” quickly pull us back into the story.

The lilting guitar loop and airy production flourishes on ‘What Do We Do It For?’ similarly conceal a sobering confession of wanting more from a life that’s already pretty great on paper.

All the while, Tiny Habits continue to find unique new angles from which to unpack their relationships, from the painful twinge of ‘Fragile, Too’ to the tender ‘Anything He Was’ featuring a mellowed-out Healy; no wonder The 1975’s influence can be heard throughout the record.

Though the rotation of twinkling percussions and plucky, uptempo riffs can feel a little samey by the closing track, it’s the unexpected melodic runs that beckon you back for replays – each member as strong as a soloist as they are together.