The contemporary British folk scene is undergoing a vibrant, genre-bending renaissance, and at the absolute vanguard of this movement is the powerhouse duo-turned-trio, Good Habits. Comprising core songwriters Bonnie Schwarz (cello, vocals) and Pete Shaw (accordion, synths)—who expanded into a formidable three-piece ensemble in 2025 with the addition of dynamic drummer Jen Walinetski—the band has spent the mid-2020s carving out a fiercely original niche. Their sound effortlessly bridges the gap between festival-ready, hypnotic trance-folk and deeply vulnerable, intimate acoustic balladry.
As Good Habits traverse the United Kingdom on an extensive autumn tour supporting their critically acclaimed studio album, Better for Now (released via Colour Plum Records), the ensemble continues to receive widespread critical acclaim. Reviewers have lauded the record for its fearless exploration of musical extremes, dynamic sense of physical movement, and staggering technical virtuosity paired with unbridled vitality.
Amidst this relentless touring schedule—spanning dates from Sheffield to international stages—Schwarz and Shaw paused to pull back the curtain on their domestic and creative lives. In an exclusive installment of our "Off the Shelf" interview series, the duo reflects on ten idiosyncratic, deeply personal objects from their home. These items illuminate not only their daily domestic rhythms and creative processes, but also the blurred boundaries between life on the road and the grounding sanctuary of home.
Detailed Chronology: From Nomadic Pandemic Beginnings to Better for Now
To understand the intricate, lived-in texture of Good Habits’ music, one must trace the winding, often unpredictable geography of their formation and evolution.
The Nomadic Crucible (2020–2022)
The foundational chapter of Good Habits was forged under extraordinary global circumstances. Stranded in Aotearoa (New Zealand) during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwarz and Shaw adapted to uncertainty by purchasing a campervan—essentially a car with a mattress in the back—and embarking on a relentless, year-long nomadic tour. Playing any and all available gigs, the duo subsisted on a diet born of necessity (ranging from unforgettably dreary 72-hour stretches of free pub chips to dry microwave rice eaten out of wraps). This period of itinerant survival stripped their artistry down to its rawest elements, fostering a profound reliance on one another and instilling a resilient, DIY ethos that continues to inform their work ethic today.
Expanding the Sonic Palette (2023–2024)
Returning to the UK with a treasure trove of lived experiences, Schwarz and Shaw began translating their wanderlust into larger-scale compositions. Their sound began to stretch outward, absorbing global influences and experimenting with heavy rhythmic pulses, atmospheric synth pads, and soaring cello lines. The seeds of Better for Now were planted during these years of intensive writing and touring, as the duo honed a style that refused to sit comfortably within traditional folk boundaries.
The Powerhouse Trio Era and Better for Now (2025–2026)
A major evolutionary leap occurred in 2025 with the recruitment of drummer Jen Walinetski. Walinetski’s crisp, inventive percussion injected a new rhythmic drive into the band’s core setup of cello and accordion, transforming their live shows into transcendent, high-energy spectacles.
This expanded lineup crystallized on their latest studio album, Better for Now. Released on Colour Plum Records and available across digital, CD, and LP formats, the record has quickly become a landmark release in modern British folk. As highlighted by critics like Thomas Blake, the album succeeds precisely because of its restless spirit: it moves fluidly from the driving, danceable euphoria of trance-folk to the delicate, unadorned emotional clarity of tracks like "Reading Song".
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Art of Reading Song and Domestic Spaces
The dual nature of Good Habits—oscillating seamlessly between high-octane performance and reflective domesticity—is vividly captured in their recent visual projects and everyday routines.
Reading Song: A Visual and Sonic Exploration
The album’s campaign is anchored by the music video for "Reading Song", filmed during an oppressive heatwave in late May 2026 and expertly directed and edited by Lydia Taylor. Commenting on the shoot, Schwarz wryly notes: "Every time it looks like Pete is asleep in this… he is."
Musically and lyrically, "Reading Song" serves as a thesis statement for the band’s thoughtful ethos. The track honors the sanctity of intellectual engagement and the quiet downtime afforded by reading, while simultaneously weaving threads of nostalgia and familial memory. Schwarz’s vocals are deliberately unadorned, allowing the distinct geography of her regional accent to shape the song’s emotional architecture. Propelled by a loping bassline, Walinetski’s crisp percussion, and Shaw’s jaunty, darting accordion accompaniment, it exemplifies the band’s knack for marrying narrative depth with infectious rhythmic momentum.
The Anatomy of "Off the Shelf"
The band’s domestic sanctuary—located near Sheffield’s thriving whole-food hub, affectionately known as the "lentil belt"—serves as the backdrop for their participation in KLOF Mag’s "Off the Shelf" series. By examining ten hand-picked objects from their home, Schwarz and Shaw offer a rare window into the philosophical debates, creative coping mechanisms, and sentimental heirlooms that sustain them between tour legs.
Official Statements: Inside the Home of Good Habits
Through ten carefully curated household artifacts, Bonnie Schwarz and Pete Shaw reflect on the intersections of art, domestic life, memory, and touring culture:
1. The Butterfly Embroidery ("I Declare It Meaningful")
Pete: "When decorating the house, Bonnie and I have stumbled into the age-old discussion of what should, and maybe more importantly, what shouldn’t go on the walls. We both love art; however, for me, an art piece has to have some personal connection or meaning to it… One day she went out and bought this butterfly embroidery from a charity shop as the colour palette suited our bedroom. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, so it temporarily lived on a shelf… I hadn’t noticed that it had gone missing a week before my birthday—when I unwrapped a big present in the morning, the butterfly was staring up at me with the newly embroidered words ‘I DECLARE IT MEANINGFUL’ emblazoned on it. Now I love it."
2. The Cockatoo Painting
Pete: "There are two things we love about having a home (having been pretty nomadic for three years): having great neighbours, and being able to host touring musicians… Over summer, Australian singer-cellist Monique Clare came to visit… Whenever we’re back from tour, our eight-year-old neighbour comes around a lot to do arts & crafts, piano practice, and gardening. As Monique was here, we decided to invent a game where you had to paint a picture whilst swinging on the swing, then everyone else had to guess what you were going for. This was Monique’s masterpiece that now lives in our kitchen."
3. The Stable Door
Pete: "Spending time in Germany has introduced me to the wonders of lüften (the practice of opening all your doors/windows every morning to replace the air inside the house)… Not only does the stable door provide a great opening for airing out the house, it also blurs the lines between inside and outside, meaning I can sit and read looking out to the woods with the birds, the stream and the trains as my morning chorus even when it’s raining. There’s nothing like a big hole in the wall to remind you that you should probably take a break for a bit to touch some grass."
4. Dried Food
Pete: "When Bonnie and I were stranded in Aotearoa New Zealand whilst on tour during the pandemic, we got ourselves a van… During this time we made a few discoveries: eating nothing but free chips from pub gigs over a 72-hour period makes your skin go grey… Now that we thankfully no longer live this life, I never take for granted the ability to cook and eat real meals. Having shelves of dried staples each with their individual labels brings me a level of satisfaction that my younger self could not have predicted… Living near Sheffield also gives us the luxury of having access to the ‘lentil belt’… Now as soon as we return home from a period of touring, I go into a domestic daze of bread baking, dahl cooking, and flapjack making."
5. Running Shoes
Pete: "I don’t know why I run. People often ask me if I’m training for anything, but the reality is that I’m just running. Running amongst nature gives me a clarity rarely found anywhere else in my life… It often acts as a cheat code to problem-solving… My fitness seems to be dictated by the passing of the seasons. In winter, I go absolutely stir crazy… Come summer, we’re on the road a lot, and I find myself outside more often than not. Subsequently, my running falls off a cliff, and my trainers look at me scathingly as they perch in the shoe rack untouched."
6. Art Print ("I Like a Bare Bum")
Bonnie: "I came across this artwork on Instagram, and it instantly brought me so much joy that I purchased the card instantly. I’d like to dig into my rebuttal of Pete’s belief… that an art item needs a story behind why you’ve taken it into your home. I think the whole point of art and creation is that the art itself can just connect with you and speak to you, and doesn’t require any statements. You wouldn’t only enjoy an album because of the circumstances in which you discovered it, would you?! Anyway, back to my item. Arthouse Unlimited is an art charity showcasing the work of adults living with disabilities…"
7. The Blue Hat Door
Bonnie: "We played at a fantasy festival in the Netherlands last winter and found these hats in a charity shop. They’re a playful take on what the helpers traditionally wear around Sinterklaas. Slowly, the collection has grown as other blue hats of different styles have migrated. Maybe friends who are around one evening will indulge in a blue hat night? Or I’ll forget I’m wearing the blue hat with the largest feather when the postman rings? We have a neighbour next door who’s eight… She has telling eyebrows that show her surprise that two seemingly adult people wear feathered hats and paint on the walls."
8. Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear
Bonnie: "These two used to sit at either end of my late granny’s piano. She was a music teacher, mine too, teaching me cello and piano from when I was a child… Piano and cello lessons with my granny had the same playful spirit and excitement. So having this little mouse and bear in the house gives me two very precious connections to her and to childhood memories of music learning. They make their way back to the piano whenever kid friends and family visit. They’re in very good condition given they’re probably as old as me, and have been in many toddlers’ mouths."
9. The "You Got This" Sign
Bonnie: "When I was in my final year as a student, I was studying a module in composing for film… It got to the morning before the deadline, and I hadn’t even figured out how to use Logic yet. I knew I had an almighty wall of a task ahead of me. Frozen with overwhelm, I left the house and walked down the street, straight into a pop-up art shop and found this sign. I walked straight home and completed the assessment (it took 30 hours)… this one is nice to have in the office, either as a reminder that even the most overwhelming task is tackleable, or just to remind me that I’m much better at time management these days."
10. The Cross-Stitch Sunflower Cushion
Bonnie: "Last Christmas, my mum presented me with a mammoth cross-stitch she’d been working on in the form of a cushion… I was moved by just how much work it obviously took her, and I also went on a little thought journey. It felt odd at first to put something in our living room that is a band press photo, something so associated with work… But the reality is that the photo just does capture who we are as people so well. In fact, there’s something in the fact that we are sharing who we truly are… as a job, so the line between work and life doesn’t really exist, and that’s okay."
Future Outlook: The Road Ahead for Good Habits
As Good Habits continue their extensive autumn tour across the United Kingdom—capturing audiences from Sheffield to intimate regional venues—their trajectory points toward an increasingly influential role in contemporary acoustic music. The seamless integration of Jen Walinetski’s drumming has permanently elevated their sonic capabilities, proving that the duo’s creative evolution is far from plateauing.
With Better for Now cementing its place as a definitive release of the year, and with projects like their second official music video for "Uetze" expanding their visual storytelling, Good Habits are operating at the absolute peak of their powers. Whether they are exploring the outer limits of trance-folk on festival stages, baking bread in their Sheffield kitchen, or donning feathered blue hats for unsuspecting postmen, Schwarz, Shaw, and Walinetski continue to prove that technical mastery and unbridled joy can coexist in perfect harmony.
Better for Now is out now via Colour Plum Records on Digital Download, CD, and LP.
- Order Physical & Digital Formats: Direct via Band Website | Bandcamp
- Live Dates & Tour Tickets: Good Habits Live Schedule
