Album Review: All for Something by Tiny Habits
Written by Lucas Assagba. Edited by Millie Cain.
‘We say the same phrase at the same tempo, as we get out the back of a man’s Toyota.’
A dose of metafiction opens Tiny Habits’ debut album, All for Something.
‘Circling’ is a song the harmony trio sings together in the green room before
every show, described by vocalist Maya Rae as ‘the perfect song to start off the
record.’
This same metafiction is reflected in the album’s cover, a simple shot of the band
spinning in a circle; ‘everything’s circling around us, promising a lifetime of love.’
Novelty is the ever-present crux of any Tiny Habits song; that warm feeling you
get when you realise, you’re hearing something unlike anything ever made. The
band have been going strong since their formation at Berklee College of Music in
2022, and this novelty isn’t showing any sign of fading.
Maya describes track two as a ‘rock banger’; with cunning production courtesy of
Tony Berg and Will Maclellan (Boygenius, Taylor Swift), ‘People Always Change’
sees the trio on an ever-cool indie-rock wave. With third single ‘I Don’t Have The
Heart’ bringing a similarly high energy; it’s almost satirically dance-able. As singer
Judah Mayowa muses, ‘Why does this feel like the upbeat? / Waiting to fall into a
groove again.’ Both songs are a refreshing turn away from their usual solemn,
folk-driven atmosphere.
All for Something isn’t starved of this atmosphere by any means, however. Tiny
Habits are at their best when they’re at their most candid. ‘Flicker’ was first
written by Judah while the band were on tour in 2023. After taking it to Maya, and
to Cinya Khan, the three transformed the song into something that feels at home
on a joint record, described by Judah as ‘one of our favs.’ A strong point of the
album for me, ‘Flicker’ contains some of its simplest, but most poignant words; ‘you like
keeping me around / ‘cause I’m easy to have.’
Songs like ‘Malleable’ are a reminder that, at their core, Tiny Habits are a group
of friends, sharing a connection and propping one another up, just as a harmony
serves a melody. Written by Cinya in the aftermath of a damaging relationship,
and ultimately driven by her, the song painfully asserts that ‘It’s just impractical /
to be a fraction of myself for you.’
Connection often serves as the driving force of the band and of the album,
whether that’s the connection between Judah, Maya, and Cinya, or between
them and their collaborators. Judah wrote ‘Planting Flowers’ with his best friend
and college roommate Stav McAllister (who featured the band on his own song, ‘Joker’), and ‘Broken’ was written by Maya and her cousin, Benjamin Millman (the
producer of their debut EP’s lead single, ‘Hemenway’).
Perhaps the most important connection is the one between artists and their
producers – and the sheer trust between Tiny Habits, Tony Berg and Will
Maclellan is palpable. Especially on ‘Small Enough’, a song with two distinct
versions. ‘This was the first song we worked on with Tony [Berg],’ Cinya said in
our interview, which you can read here. ‘We had our qualms with it, […] and it
stuck out in a really strange way. We thought it’d be nice to tweak it and make it
more seamless in terms of the record.’ Though I loved the single version, the
song on the album is streets ahead, and it feels so much more comfortable on
the record.
Penultimate track ‘Wishes’ was a highlight of mine; it was described by Maya as
‘one of the most special tracks we’ve ever created,’ and I’m inclined to agree.
Vulnerability and candidness run through every song on the album, but on
‘Wishes’ more than every other, and in that way, it feels emblematic of the entire
record.
Any discussion of Tiny Habits would be insufficient without talking about their
heavenly harmonies, and they really shine through on ‘Wishes’; they harmonise
with themselves and with each other, playing with dissonance in a way only they
can. The trio opens the door on their deepest wishes and desires, singing them
to the sky as one tosses coins into a well. It’s my favourite song on the album,
though it leaves us on a thematic low point; ‘I wish these wishes / weren’t all for
nothing / all the time.’
But, as we’ve learned, Tiny Habits are ever optimistic. Final track ‘Salt and Sand’
is the turning of a new leaf in musical form; ‘We both got what you asked for /
That’s just the way it is / I hope you can forget this.’ It brings the album back
down to Earth as the three repeat, ‘I lose myself in time’ in the refrain.
All for Something is a pure joy to experience. Whether they’re singing to an
audience of hundreds in a packed venue, or to an audience of screens in their
college dorm, Tiny Habits serve to remind us that no expression of emotion is in
vain. From the simplest observation to the grandest proclamation, it’s all for
something.
