{"id":70175,"date":"2019-03-01T04:00:01","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T10:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/?p=70175"},"modified":"2019-03-01T16:00:13","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T22:00:13","slug":"homeshake-helium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/2019\/03\/01\/homeshake-helium\/","title":{"rendered":"HOMESHAKE: Helium"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Some of the greatest ideas are results of introversion and boredom. The Montreal-native returns after two years since his latest release, assuring his fans that he was busy doing \u201cnothing.\u201d HOMESHAKE reminds listeners that solitude is a virtue through their limp beat, experimental R&B album, Helium<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As expected from a guy whose previous works are titled Midnight Snack<\/em> and In the Shower<\/em>, Peter Sagar is a simple man with a simple life. HOMESHAKE is the popular brainchild between Sagar and his solitude that has produced steady, wavy beats paired with isolated guitars and dreamy synths. Sagar, originally from Montreal, is no stranger to this dreamy synth-rock type as he is the former guitarist for Mac DeMarco, a friend and inspiration for Sagar. After experiencing the hectic, exhausting process of touring the world, Sagar resigned from DeMarco\u2019s band and underwent a reflective period back in Montreal where he worked on solo material. His first album, Midnight Snack<\/em>, establishes Sagar\u2019s eclectic yet contrasting jazzy tone that he\u2019s stuck with for four albums now.<\/p>\n

Sagar carries that over into Helium<\/em> with a few other new additions involving off-key vocal distortion, such as track 10 \u201cSalu Says Hi,\u201d that makes you question if HOMESHAKE is really this lazy or actually a creative visionary. The album kicks off with one of Sagar\u2019s specialties; the lo-fi instrumental titled \u201cEarly.\u201d With the first note of the staggering, dreamy synth, it feels as though both HOMESHAKE and the listener are waking up and slowly beginning to register that another day is about to begin. Continuing into the album, HOMESHAKE alternates between the instrumentals and songs with vocals as Sagar can\u2019t decide the best way to put down his thoughts. Although both variations of his work express that Sagar has become magnetically attached to his home, proving difficult for him to escape. He becomes so lost in his daydreams that he begins imaging how much more successful he would be as a musician in track two, \u201cLike Mariah,\u201d if he only had the incomparable vocal expertise Mariah Carey does. On track seven, \u201cJust Like My,\u201d Sagar battles against solitude, and doesn\u2019t know how to escape it. Perhaps it\u2019s a lack of motivation or conviction, but he isn\u2019t quite sure where to start. \u201cI should switch up everything\/I don\u2019t feel like anything else\/ Not sure how to deal with it\/ Maybe I can figure it out, give me just a quick second or two,\u201d he casually laments, signaling it may be too late for him. There is a stark contrast with this song; the beat is upbeat and wavy but the lyrics contradict that with Sagar\u2019s deep concern. However, he still keeps trying. Track five, Sagar has a night out with friends but can\u2019t seem to shake that feeling of loneliness. Despite knowing he\u2019ll be alone as soon as he gets home, he repetitively begs \u201cLet me be here all night long\/ Let me be\/ Let me be here all night long.\u201d You can\u2019t blame a guy for trying. HOMESHAKE concludes the album with a nonchalant, R&B jam titled \u201c(Secret Song).\u201d It\u2019s the end of the album for the listener, but the closing of another chapter of Sagar\u2019s life. At the end, he discovers that the only way to change is take of himself.<\/p>\n

Helium<\/em> combines Sagar\u2019s social anxiety with the ominous, yet comforting \u201cstanding in front of the refrigerator\u201d vibe of his sound. The entire album, you\u2019re rooting for Sagar; supporting him his dreams of \u201csinging like Mariah,\u201d celebrating his efforts, and sympathizing with him when he acknowledges his solitude. However, the ultimate person rooting for Sagar is himself. It\u2019s obvious that he is revisiting sensitive territory in this album, but he manages to express it with such individuality and commitment to his own music. It\u2019s so honest and intriguing, but also just something helpful to listen to when even the comfort of your own home feels unescapable.
\n
\nRecommended If You Like: Gus Dapperton, Mild High Club, Temporex, Crumb
\nRecommended Tracks: 2 (Anything At All), 7 (Just Like My), 11 (Another Thing), 13 ((Secret Song))
\nDo Not Play: None
\nWritten by Caroline McCone on 02\/26\/2019 <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HOMESHAKE’s latest release leaves you questioning if solitude could be your best friend or your worst enemy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21323,"featured_media":70176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[8291,8302,3596],"class_list":["post-70175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hip-hopelectronic-rotation","tag-caroline-mccone","tag-helium","tag-homeshake"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/homeshake-helium.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21323"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}