“We met in high school and we’ve been bosom buddies ever since,” Maia says affectionately. Initially hanging out in share houses and experimenting with sounds over drinks, the pair didn’t know exactly where they were planning to go with the music they were making together. “We started messing around with loop stations and shitty keyboards making really drunk, spooky music,” says Maia.
The closeness between Mo and Maia that characterises Habits is remarkable but they both acknowledge the importance of nutting something out on your own. “It’s so difficult with beat making,” says Maia. “The possibilities are endless. Picking a place to start can be really difficult whereas if you get through that awkwardness by yourself then bring it to the table it opens it up a lot more.”
“It’s scary making that start, I still get a little shy,” says Mo.
When discussing the process of their songwriting Maia is quick to note that they don’t have a single happy song. “I wouldn’t even know how to write a happy song,” jokes Maia. “I’m always writing from a personal place but a lot of my personal experiences are formed by the shit I deal with being trans and queer. Sometimes that seeps into the lyrics which are about being frustrated with the kinds of aggression and micro aggressions I experience. We have a song that’s very unapologetically angry about bros with a working title of Check Yourself.” Mo also writes from a mostly personal perspective but is acutely aware of the special relationship listeners have with music. “My lyrics are quite abstract sometimes and everyone can get a meaning for themselves.”
Both Mo and Maia put a great deal of time and energy into Habits outside the writing and performing of the music. “At the moment we do everything. Artwork, management, booking, social media, writing, everything ourselves,” explains Mo. “It’s exhausting but it’s great having that kind of control as we know the type of shows we want to play and who our audience is,” says Maia.
When it comes to navigating around those that choose to be close minded the duo are defiant as to where they stand. “We’ve made a decision to be a publicly visible performing act. Part of that is dealing with people you wouldn’t choose to deal with in other circumstances. We’re tough, we can deal with shitty people.”
Mo and Maia channel this resilience into a live performance impossible to tear your eyes away from. “When we get on stage we demand the respect of the room. I think a lot of people have reverence for that,” says Maia.
Their upcoming gig at The Evelyn will be their last Melbourne headline show before they take to Volumes Festival and BIGSOUND. “We haven’t had the chance to curate a lineup in a while. We just wanted to put on all these acts that we love but we don’t get to play with,” says Mo.
And what’s in store for Habits in the future? “We’re working on a bunch of collabs with some friends at the moment and working towards some new recordings. It’s been fun trying out new processes of making music that we would never attempt.”
BY HOLLY PEREIRA
