Homeshake: Midnight Snack Review

By LeeAnn Cota
Music Journalist

Artist: Homeshake
Album: Midnight Snack
Release Date: September 18, 2015
Website: https://homeshake.bandcamp.com/

If you’re into relatively slow tempo-ed jams, take a listen to Homeshake’s second full-length album, Midnight Snack. Released under Sinderlyn Records in September of 2015, Homeshake (aka Peter Sagar) spent most of his time writing for this album while on tour with his fellow Canadian compadre, the one and only, Mac Demarco. His first full-length, In the Shower, was released in 2014 and his latest album, Fresh Air, was released in early February of this year. Sagar seems to stick to a synth-heavy sound with some additional rhythmic guitar, soft percussion, and steady bass. As stated on his bandcamp, he pulls in influences from all over but specifically mentions some ties to D’Angelo and R Kelly. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly where Homeshake falls into genre-wise, but it’s somewhere in between indie pop, r&b, chill-wave, and even a little sprinkle of jazz.

Not many people can make catch phrases from a basketball arcade game sound so well, but Sagar accomplishes that tremendously in the song “He’s Heating Up!” which is track 3 on the album. The title itself is one of the phrases, some others include “He’s on fire,” “puts up a brick,” and “ugly shot,” which are all from the NBA Jam game series. You can hear a couple of the phrases here. His lyrics hint at a possible disturbance in his relationship with a woman caused by another man, “But it’s different now since he’s been coming around, I’ll find a way to drop it from downtown.” He acknowledges how he isn’t the only guy but knows that he might be losing in his game of love.

In addition to this song, many others throughout the album mention a woman Sagar is romantically involved with. My personal favorite is track 5, “Faded.” This was the first song I ever heard from Homeshake, so I hold it dearly to my heart. The song makes you feel exactly what the title says, with its stratospheric noise you will float through intoxicating sound waves. The lyrics to this song make me think that Sagar’s girl is possibly a little too faded, with the song starting with “Maybe if I sat her, sat her on her side, she could feel better.” Further into the song, he admits he’s faded too and doesn’t really know what to do but sticks to his girl’s side.

With a more upbeat tempo, “Move This Body”, Track 9 gives off a more danceable vibe compared to the rest of the album. In this song, Sagar talks about being shy about dancing around other people but his girl helps him out and is able to ease his nerves. He seems to feel more comfortable with her around and says, “Maybe if you ask we could dance all night, baby you know that I’m shy.” His mind is set on her and he’s able to loosen up and start enjoying himself with her.

The last song “Goodnight” is the best ending to tie the whole album together. I took it as referring back to the album’s title, and it seems that Sagar has had his snack and is ready to go back to bed. The song has no vocals, and is instead filled with a mesmerizing synth-soaked sound.

Midnight Snack stays quite consistent with a stagnant tone in the most soothing and dream-like way possible, which makes it easy to get lost in Homeshake’s transcendent reverberation. Sagar generated this album in a time in his life where the pressures of the spotlight he gained from touring with Demarco became too much for him. He stopped touring so he could head back to his home in Montreal and focus more on himself, his relationships, and his own music. I recommend this album for those slow nights where you just want to lay on your bed and stare at your ceiling. I would also recommend checking out his other music, including his latest album Fresh Air. I can only imagine how his music sounds live, so if you’re interested check out his tour dates here.