Small Million - “Old Habits”
USA-based Small Million have just released the incredibly sentimental and warm “Old Habits.” Full of jangling guitar tones and gentle vocals, this song is a stunner. drawing its energy from 1990s indie pop rock music, whilst giving hints of shoegaze and dream pop.
The song starts with what sounds like a looping vocal section and an organ that gently pushes out a soft melody. There is a spiritual and reflective mood to these tones. The song gains a pulse from a kick drum as clean reverberated guitar gives a dreamy and reflective texture. Shaker is also added, lending a nice movement in the mix.
I really love how Small Million play with the dynamics on this track. The bass gives a really powerful solid foundation. A tom groove fades in, enhancing the emotional sentiment. When the full drum kit is introduced, the mellow guitar layers really come to the forefront as they dance around the vocal. Just when the song feels like it is in its stride, the dynamics are pulled back before giving us a satisfying crescendo.
The vocal is gentle and warm and it effortlessly carries you through the song. There is a real genuine tone to the performance and it appears as though the lyrics have come from a real place. This, again, is another thing that makes Small Million a great act– there is no pretense, only authenticity.
The band describe the origin and meaning of the song: “There’s a certain way friends show up for each other in their early 20s. It’s sweet and it’s sloppy, it’s us validating each other’s questionable choices while we’re all figuring out who we are. In bar bathrooms and passenger seats, in impractical shoes and really short skirts, through lacklustre relationships we rounded up to great loves, this song is about the close friend who supports you through break-ups and fuck-ups when you’re both still kind of messy humans.”
Small Million have once again knocked the ball out of the park with “Old Habits.” The vocal evokes a sense of nostalgia whilst the beautifully layered, rolling guitar textures carry you away. The song is the title track for their new EP, which is out now.