There’s a much younger and much more painfully fashionable crowd at Koko tonight than you’d expect at the average folk show, but then again, Tiny Habits are no average folk band. The ‘three teenagers in their dorm room singing harmonies’, as they describe themselves, have taken their TikTok viral status and turned it a cosy debut album. Given Tiny Habits only came into existence as a band just over two years ago, when Maya Rae, Cinya Khan and Judah Mayowa met while at the Boston, Massachusetts institute that is Berklee College of Music, they’ve covered a lot of ground.
Tiny Habits @ Koko
A folk trio with a focus on gorgeous vocal harmonies, they’ve been on the rise and championed by the likes of Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams, who they’ve also opened for on respective tours, alongside heavy hitters Marcus Mumford and Phoebe Bridgers. And following the release of their debut LP All For Something, it’s little wonder why. Tonight is their final stop on their inaugural international tour and we are more than ready to embrace the trio’s blend of comforting folk pop.
As Tiny Habits’ intro music gently builds to what appears to be a sombre start, vocalist Judah Mayowa cracks into a dorky grin and grooves on the spot, sending his bandmates into and unselfconsciously smiles. They pause for just a second to collect themselves – this might be one of their first appearances in London (their last to just 500 people!) but they are professionals, after all – and they join their voices to create the kind of freshly-mown-grass harmonies that catapulted them into the spotlight. A fan holds up his hands, linking his fingers into a heart, as neon lilac silence falls and phones raise signalling the start of Mudroom. The vocal harmonies reassure as the beat builds, with a touch of acceptance in their tone when played live, and the tune dips and swells between loud and quiet. Flicker sends a little shooting nineties guitar into the night amid the comforting fresh soft cotton harmonies as Maya Rae’s voice grows beyond her stature, and What Was I Made For’s weary grace and piercing regret melts into contemplative prayerful piano.
Tiny Habits @ Koko
“This is my song,” explains Rae as the set splits, each member taking the lead on a song. Malleable is like a floating, drifting smoke ring into the late night, and the Mayowa-led Planting Flowers offers a a closeness, a wish for permission and hope for forgiveness. The trio close their eyes, their key changes levitating above our hearts before they accidentally meet each others eyes and crack up into off-mic giggles. Wishes evokes a warm hush, a depth and a deep water to swim up through a plucked devotional. We shake our heads to in approval and rejection of negativity to the pretty piano backed confessional. Couples lean into each other for Tiny Habits’ soulful reimagining of Keane classic Somewhere Only We Know, and arms up into a swaying flowering show of appreciation. They cover Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide too, a tribute delicate and full spirited in its intention and true to the sentiment of the original. Hemenway’s sweet and comforting, a tune that dances like dandelion in the wind.
Tiny Habits close with the almost eponymous Tiny Things’ waves of fulfilment and trickling embraces, we’re left satisfied with their fresh and wholesome take on harmony-focused folk. Considering how far they’ve come with only one EP and a very recently released first album under their belt, it’s a very safe bet that we’ll be seeing Tiny Habits back in London soon.
Review of Tiny Habits live at Koko on 30th May 2024 by Kate Allvey, photography by Kalpesh Patel.
Share Thing