Homeshake - In The Shower (listening guide)

Homeshake - In the Shower

Listening Guide

Homeshake is the stage name of Montreal based musician Peter Sagar, who had previously toured with indie rockstar Mac Demarco as a backing guitarist in 2013. However he left less than a year later to focus on his solo career, coming out with the Homeshake Tape, released exclusively on cassette. Featuring clips from Dragon Ball Z and a sound heavily influenced by 90s R&B, It stands out as a weird, funky first EP for any musician to date. In 2014 he released In The Shower under Sinderlyn records, his first full length LP, consisting of 10 tracks. The sound is a mix of Indie pop and slacker rock, while still being heavily influenced by the R&B from Peters childhood. The general sound of Homeshake is laidback, slow, and cool. This is the kind of record you put on when you want to get intimate with a girl or looking to kickback after a long day of work. Peters vocals are smooth and floaty, with some vocal distortion on tracks like Ca$h is Money, and Home At Last.

As I mentioned earlier, Peter was heavily influenced by R&B when making this Album, and he has cited Prince, D’Angelo, and Curtis Mayfield as major inspirations, also citing record producer J Dilla as a major influence on his music.

“J Dilla, He changed the way I thought about music when Donuts finally found me. It changed my perception of what a song is.”

Homeshake is the latest of the many groups coming out of the Montreal Indie Rock scene. The most notable artists are Mac Demarco, a pioneer in slacker rock, Walter TV, a group both Mac and Peter both briefly played in, among many other bands coming out of the area. Homeshake can be described as slacker rock, a new trend coming out of the 90s and picking us in the early 2000s. The lyrics usually empathise smoking weed and being laid back, making it popular with teens and young adults.

Homeshake released two tapes prior to In the Shower. The Homeshake Tape, which I talked about earlier, and Dynamic Meditation, which features songs in between sound clips of a Dynamic Meditation VHS tape. You can really hear how Peter is still experimenting with sampling and getting his beats down in the first two tapes, and how his songwriting has really improved over the years, all culminating in In the Shower.

Homeshake would go on to make two more records with moderate success, Midnight Snack in September 2015, and Fresh Air in 2017. His albums would continue to use less guitars and focus more on synthesizers and electronic beats as the years go on, almost changing his sound completely. This is why In the Shower remains one of his best albums, as there is a perfect balance of synth and traditional guitars.

Track Listing

She Can’t Leave Me Here Alone Tonight (2:40)

Chowder (3:28)

Doo Dah (3:06)

Making a Fool of You (3:21)

Michael (1:43)

Ca$h is Money (3:02)

Okay (3:29)

Slow (2:54)

The Shower Scene (2:50)

Home At Last (3:12)

Song Descriptions

She Can’t leave me here Alone Tonight/Homeshake

Vocals: Very casual, get high during chorus, but overall, very chill.

Mood: Like waking up from a good dream about your baby girl. Early Morning melancholy and loneliness

Tempo: Laid back, relaxed, doesn’t go too crazy to get its point across, takes its time.

Lyrics: Lyrics are your typical Homeshake song. Staying at home, wishing my baby was here, and I’m feeling really depressed about it.

Comments: Such a great opener for a great album, sets the mood perfectly.

Doo Dah/Homeshake

Vocals: Pete just woke up from an afternoon nap to record this.

Mood: I’m feeling nice and okay cause I got my baby by my side.

Tempo: Very nice and slow, not going anywhere and you’re okay with that

Lyrics: Staying at home with your love one. Helping her through some tough times.

General thoughts: Love the outro, very strange yet somehow very sad.

Making a Fool of You/Homeshake

Vocals: Pete uses some machine to slow down his voice, humorous but gets its point across.

Mood: Feeling like an idiot but I’m going to look cool doing it

Tempo: Cooler than you’ll ever be

Lyrics: Some friend is tellin you you’re being used, but is being mad chill about it.

General Thoughts: That bassline is godly.

Slow/Homeshake

Vocals: Distorted, wild, out of this world.

Mood: Makes me wanna pace around like an idiot. Very upbeat and happy and makes you feel nice.

Tempo: Despite the name, its the fastest song on the album, making for a nice change of pace

Lyrics: Petes girl is gonna cook you up a meal while he serenades you sweetly to sleep.

General thoughts: Best song the album, his best song period.

Home at Last/Homeshake

Vocals: Unintelligible, depressing

Mood: Nostalgic reflections. End of an era blues, impending sadness.

Tempo: Slowed down to a crawl, but thats okay

Lyrics: Time to get away, I’m homeward bound again

General Thoughts: Great closer, so much so Pete always closes all his live shows with it.