Peter Sagar's music as
Homeshake has always reflected themes of isolation and loneliness, and his fifth album is no different. Written primarily in 2019 but appearing deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, its contents are relevant for the era but would've been more or less the same either way. Opening track "Feel Better" has a mellow vibe, cool keyboards, and a skeletal drum machine, as
Sagar's clear voice achingly intones "feel better when it's cold out." Other songs like "Vacuum" and "Inaminit" have a light synth-funk base, as
Sagar calmly sings about not being able to leave the house. As on past albums, he plays around with vocal pitch-shifting on several tracks, bumping his voice up to a feminine register during some moments and acting out imaginary conversations during others. Little touches like this, as well as the pitch-altered chimes and the way the beats seem to melt at the end of "Spend It," add a bit of levity to an album that could've been overtly dour.
Sagar writes downcast music, but he never seems like he's actually trying to make anyone feel bad, he's just honestly expressing how he feels.
Lucas Nathan (aka
Jerry Paper) mixed the album and helped give it more of an analog touch than previous
Homeshake records. It's definitely not as rough and guitar-driven as the project's earlier, more indie rock-sounding efforts, but there's not as much digital polish as on 2019's
Helium. It keeps up
Homeshake's consistent track record of friendly yet bummed-out albums that are easy to listen to and enjoy if you're in a similar mind state as
Sagar, yet they're just strange and detailed enough to avoid being predictable. ~ Paul Simpson