Montreal based slacker rocker and ally of Mac DeMarco, Homeshake is back with his third release Fresh Air and all is not as lighthearted as it seems. Fresh Air is a funky but thoughtful progression from his last release with comments on technology and love sewn into R’n’B synth-pop and drum machines.
Up until fairly recently, Peter Sagar, or Homeshake as we know him now, was best known for his long stint in his childhood friend’s band – Mac DeMarco. DeMarco’s huge success was not something anticipated by the friends, and it wasn’t long before Sagar found life on the road wasn’t for him. After a long stint of touring, Homeshake produced his last album Midnight Snack in 2015. The album established Homeshake for his distinctive style. Speckled with warped takes on indie pop structures and falsetto vocals, the album appeared as a late night contemplation on the loneliness of touring.
A famously quiet musician, the Montreal-based Sagar has repeatedly said in interviews he likes to stay at home with his girlfriend and this is certainly reflected in his latest release Fresh Air, which is invitingly mellow, leaning on the theme of love and is absent mindedly charming. Homeshake has certainly cemented his sound with this release: he takes unparalleled independence with his use of synth-leads and drum machines, peppering it with hefty helpings of 90s hip-hop and R’n’B. Occasionally, the results sound more akin to a Drake or Prince sample on tracks such as ‘Not U’ and ‘This Way’ rather than the bleary slacker rock he is typically associated with.
Characteristically Homeshake-esque, the album opens with ‘Hello Welcome’, a track that appears to narrate that mid-supermarket-aisle daydream with a soundtrack that is interrupted with auditory hallucinations greeting with “Hello, Welcome.” This leads straight into one of the lead singles from the album, ‘Call Me Up’, which features a delicately-sung vocal refrain interlocked with atmospheric, groove-laden synth pop. One of the most impressive tracks on the album ‘Call Me Up’ is dusted with an effortless demeanor. Intriguingly it seems to hint at an underlying concept surrounding technology and mobile phones. The suggested comment on technology can be found throughout the album, most notably on ‘Getting Down Pt II’ where an anxiety-inducing phone vibration builds into a libidinal and down-tempo track. Again on ‘Every Single Thing’ where Homeshake’s girlfriend interjects an atmospheric inner monologue with “Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey…are you even paying attention to me right now?”
Despite the underlying technological apprehension, Fresh Air provides some pop-friendly tracks littered with steamy themes. Thoughtful and funky, tracks such as ‘Khmlwugh’ (Kissing, Loving, Making Love, Waking Up, Getting High) maintain a smokey, laid back romance, a kind of comic relief and an ode to Sagar’s reputation for airy productions.
What Sagar has done with this release is undeniably clever. The album is a personal, and strikingly candid commentary on hyper-attention and distraction, veiled in digestible charm and slacker rock subtleties. Disguised as indie-pop comfort food, Sagar reveals insights into his sheltered private life, his relationship with his long-term girlfriend and his uneasiness with technology. It’s easy to lose Sagar’s vocals and lyrics in the busy, interjecting guitar jangles and synth pop, but they are well worth a listen. Perhaps what Sagar is trying to do is direct himself, and his fans, to turn off their phones, go outside and enjoy some Fresh Air.
Sian Blewitt
Facebook: facebook.com/homeshake
Twitter: twitter.com/HOOMESHAAKE