The contemporary British folk scene thrives on boundary-pushing experimentation, and few acts embody this spirit of reinvention quite like Good Habits. Anchored by the core songwriting duo of Bonnie Schwarz (cello, vocals) and Pete Shaw (accordion, synths), the band has expanded into an explosive trio with the addition of powerhouse drummer Jen Walinetski. This newly minted lineup brings a ferocious live energy that has captivated audiences across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Parallel to their extensive 2025–2026 touring schedule, Good Habits released their critically acclaimed studio album, Better for Now (via Colour Plum Records). Described by critics as a masterclass in outward musical migration, the record seamlessly bridges the gap between festival-ready trance-folk and deeply intimate acoustic balladry.
To celebrate the release of Better for Now and their ongoing tour dates, Schwarz and Shaw welcomed us into their lives for the latest installment of our Off the Shelf series. By exploring ten mundane yet profoundly meaningful household objects, the duo offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the domestic realities, creative philosophies, and personal histories that fuel one of the UK’s most exciting musical acts.
Detailed Chronology & Musical Evolution
From Nomadic Roots to the Modern Powerhouse Trio
The journey of Good Habits is one defined by resilience and geographical displacement. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Schwarz and Shaw found themselves unexpectedly stranded on tour in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Rather than halting their artistic output, they purchased a converted van—essentially a car with a mattress in the back—and spent the next year traversing the country. They played every grassroots gig, festival slot, and pop-up venue that would take them.
This nomadic trial by fire shaped their sound, endurance, and worldview. It also instilled in them a stark appreciation for domestic stability, culinary variety, and the comforts of a permanent home base near the vibrant "lentil belt" of southwest Sheffield.
By 2025, the duo evolved into a formidable three-piece with the recruitment of Jen Walinetski. Walinetski’s crisp, intricate percussion injected a fresh rhythmic pulse into Schwarz’s cello grooves and Shaw’s dynamic accordion work. This synergy is brilliantly captured on Better for Now, an album praised for its "sense of movement and of travel." Rather than tethering themselves to traditional genre constraints, Good Habits utilize their technical mastery to map out expansive sonic landscapes.
Reading Song: A Microcosm of Creative Reflection
A prime example of this artistic expansion is their single Reading Song, accompanied by a sun-drenched music video filmed during a blistering late-spring heatwave in May 2026. Directed and edited by Lydia Taylor, the visual features a languid, sun-baked atmosphere—complete with Pete Shaw genuinely falling asleep on camera.
Lyrically and musically, Reading Song explores the psychological necessity of intellectual engagement and downtime, touching heavily on themes of nostalgia and familial memory. Schwarz’s vocal delivery here is notably unadorned, allowing her natural regional accent to imbue the lyrics with raw texture. Propelled by a loping bassline, Walinetski’s crisp drumming, and Shaw’s jaunty accordion flourishes, the track serves as a thematic blueprint for the ethos governing Better for Now.
Supporting Context: "Off the Shelf" with Good Habits
For the Off the Shelf series, artists are invited to select ten personal items from their living spaces that hold deep meaning in their daily routines, musical practices, or the intersections between the two. Through these ten artifacts, Schwarz and Shaw open up about domestic debates, childhood memories, and creative survival.
1. The Butterfly Embroidery (“I Declare It Meaningful”)
Interior decorating is rarely a frictionless process, especially for a creative couple. While Schwarz views art through a purely aesthetic lens—appreciating pieces simply for how they enhance a room—Shaw requires a narrative or personal connection to engage with visual art.
To bridge this philosophical divide, Schwarz quietly purchased a vintage butterfly embroidery from a charity shop because its color palette matched their bedroom. Initially relegated to a side shelf by a skeptical Shaw, the embroidery vanished a week before his birthday. Unwrapping his gift that morning, Shaw discovered the butterfly re-stitched with the defiant declaration: "I DECLARE IT MEANINGFUL." It now proudly hangs as a testament to compromise and humor in their home.
2. The Cockatoo Painting
After years of nomadic living, the duo treasures two main pillars of permanent housing: wonderful neighbors and the ability to host touring musicians. During the summer, Australian singer-cellist Monique Clare used their home as a tour base.
To celebrate this cultural exchange, the household invented a chaotic, joyous game: painting a masterpiece while swinging on a backyard swing set, followed by a guessing game for onlookers. Clare’s resulting avant-garde cockatoo painting now hangs permanently in their kitchen, encapsulating the vibrant, community-focused spirit of their home.
3. The Stable Door & the German Art of Lüften
Influenced by time spent touring in Germany, Shaw adopted the daily ritual of Lüften—the morning practice of flinging open every door and window to completely flush out stale indoor air.
As a couple who work and live together, carving out independent morning space is crucial. While Schwarz sleeps, Shaw pairs his morning coffee and reading material with the fresh morning air flowing through their stable door. Blurring the boundaries between the interior study and the surrounding woods, stream, and railway, this architectural feature serves as an essential physical reminder to step away from emails and touch grass.
4. Dried Food Staples
A lingering psychological artifact of their pandemic-stranded van life in New Zealand is an intense reverence for food stability. Having survived on questionable combinations of pub chips, chewy microwave rice wraps, and straight peanut butter, Shaw maintains an obsessively labeled pantry of dried staples.
Living near Sheffield’s whole food hub grants them access to abundant legumes and spices. Upon returning from grueling tour legs, Shaw enters a therapeutic "domestic daze," baking bread, simmering dals, and whipping up batches of flapjacks as a grounding ritual.
5. Running Shoes
Running serves as an accidental sanctuary for Shaw. While he often has to mentally drag himself off the sofa to cross the threshold, hitting the wooded trails provides a psychological "cheat code" for untangling creative roadblocks.
Interestingly, his fitness routine strictly mirrors the seasons: winter drives him outdoors to combat cabin fever, while heavy summer touring leaves his running shoes sitting neglected on the rack, looking on with silent scorn.
6. The "I Like a Bare Bum" Print
Offering a direct counter-argument to Shaw’s insistence that art must carry a narrative backstory, Schwarz champions art that connects purely on an emotional, visceral level. Purchased from Arthouse Unlimited—an organization showcasing the work of artists living with disabilities—this cheeky print brings instant, unadulterated joy. It sits alongside another bold print honoring Dolly Parton, proving that sometimes art simply needs to make you smile.
7. The Blue Hat Door Collection
Sourced initially from a charity shop during a fantasy festival gig in the Netherlands last winter, these feathered, theatrical hats pay a whimsical nod to the helpers of Sinterklaas. Over time, the collection has organically expanded.
Whether worn during spontaneous neighborhood gatherings or accidentally left on when the local postman rings, these absurd headwear pieces continually baffle their eight-year-old neighbor, whose expressive eyebrows register perpetual shock at the eccentricities of adult musicians.
8. Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear
These vintage plush figures once sat proudly on the piano of Schwarz’s late grandmother, a dedicated music teacher who taught both piano and cello to a young Schwarz in Dorchester. Recalling fond childhood memories of creeping up to her bedroom on Saturday mornings, Schwarz notes that these musical toys hold immense generational weight. Whenever young family friends visit, the mouse and bear invariably find their way back to the piano keys, keeping her grandmother’s playful approach to music education alive.
9. The "You Got This" Sign
A relic of academic duress, this sign was purchased during a minor personal crisis in Schwarz’s final year of university. Overwhelmed by a film composition deadline and unfamiliar with the Logic software, she walked out of the house, bought the sign on impulse, returned home, and powered through a marathon 30-hour session to complete the project. Today, it hangs in their office as both a pragmatic productivity booster and a humorous reminder of her personal growth in time management.
10. The Cross-Stitch Sunflower Cushion
Hand-stitched over countless hours by Schwarz’s mother, this massive cushion rests in their living room as a physical manifestation of familial love. Interestingly, the cushion features the band’s official press photo—shot by musician and photographer Kate Griffin in New Zealand.
Though initially feeling strange about displaying a work-related image in domestic spaces, Schwarz came to a comforting realization: because their careers require them to share their authentic selves with the world, the rigid boundaries between "work" and "life" have successfully dissolved.
Official Statements & Critical Reception
Critical reception for Better for Now has been overwhelmingly positive across the British folk establishment. Reviewer Thomas Blake emphasized the technical brilliance and emotional resonance of the release:
"This latest offering continues their journey outwards, exploring the extreme ends of their influences, from festival-ready, locked-in trance-folk to intimate acoustic balladry… A sense of movement and of travel, of a willingness to explore and widen their musical boundaries. This in turn fosters a combination of virtuosity and sheer vitality that makes Good Habits one of the most exciting bands on the British folk scene right now."
Furthermore, the band’s video for Reading Song highlights their literary and nostalgic sensibilities, with Schwarz noting the grueling yet memorable conditions of its creation:
"It was filmed on a belting heatwave day in late May 2026. Every time it looks like Pete is asleep in this… he is."
Future Outlook & Live Itinerary
As Good Habits push further into their 2025–2026 campaign, momentum shows no signs of slowing down. With their newly expanded trio lineup—cemented by Jen Walinetski’s percussion—the band is redefining what is sonically possible for a cello, accordion, and drum configuration.
Fans looking to experience their high-octane live shows can catch them on their ongoing UK and European tour, with performances rolling through Sheffield and subsequent dates slated throughout November.
Better for Now is available now via Colour Plum Records across digital download (DL), compact disc (CD), and long-play vinyl (LP). Orders can be placed directly through the band’s official web store or via Bandcamp, with comprehensive ticketing and live date schedules accessible on the official Good Habits website.
