(Photo via SPIN)
From the dim depths of a Montreal apartment, there stands a source of tranquil melody known to the public as HOMESHAKE. Over the course of three full-length albums, HOMESHAKE’s sound has developed and matured into the pacifying haze of guitar, drums, synthesizer, vocals, and electronic decorations that combine into a unified and dignified HOMESHAKE. The man behind it all is Peter Sagar, who gained notoriety from touring as Mac Demarco’s guitarist.
Mr. Sagar took the time to answer some of my questions about how he gets his signature sound, the process of creating his most recent album Fresh Air, and his thoughts on touring.
Jason: Hi Peter! Thanks a ton for chatting; I’m a big fan. Your sound has gone through a bit of a transition since the early HOMESHAKE TAPE days. Fresh Air in particular seems to have a more melody-focused and blissfully hazy feeling than your earlier tracks. How do you think your songwriting has evolved since HOMESHAKE’s beginning?
Peter: It changes with me as I do, mostly naturally. For the latest album I tried to clean up the sound a bit, make everything a bit shinier
Jason: What’s your writing process like? Do you have to move yourself into a relaxed state when writing to capture that mellow feeling that your music is known for?
Peter: I do all my writing and demoing in my apartment late at night. I spent the end of the last winter trying to write and record something every night, and then would listen back in on the morning. My natural state is pretty relaxed, especially at home, so no moving necessary.
Jason: When you record, are you doing it all yourself, or do you have someone else in the room influencing your production decisions?
Peter: When it comes to the final recordings I like to have a friend running the board and helping with EQ and mixing and stuff. Another set of ears goes a long way.
Jason: How much of the electronic part of your music do you plan out before going to record? Do you leave room to experiment, or do you have a general understanding of where you’ll put in those elements?
Peter: I do all the experimenting in my home recording zone, once I get to the studio the majority is planned out, but I’m always open to surprises in the studio.
Jason: What comes first for you – the lyrics or the melody? And how soon after a song is written do you try to get it recorded?
Peter: Lyrics are the absolute last thing; everything else comes at random. I record demos as I write, but I don’t start working on the final recording until most of the songs are ready to start.
Jason: I love how at the bookends of your full-lengths, you implement an introduction and good-bye to act as a sort of prologue and epilogue. I’m thinking tracks like “Hello Welcome,” “Signing Off,” “What Did He Look Like,” and “Goodnight.” How do you approach compiling an album? Is it meant to be taken track by track, or do imagine your albums more as units that should be taken as a whole?
Peter: I generally imagine them as a whole, but that’s just me.
Jason: What are your thoughts on your extensive touring? Do you like the shows/traveling as much as the writing part of HOMESHAKE’s existence, or do you prefer one to the other?
Peter: I’m not fond of touring. Writing and recording is what I’m about, the rest feels like a job. A really really good job, but still a job.
Jason: How’d the pseudonym ‘HOMESHAKE’ come about? I always imagine home fries or a chocolate shake or both when I hear your name, but what’s the actual meaning behind it?
Peter: My friend Ily has this complicated handshake for friends from our old neighborhood, it is a reference to that
Jason: Your bandcamp page lists Sade, The Band, Prince, and Angelo Badalamenti as the main inspiration for Fresh Air. What new and emerging artists out there excite you?
Peter: Jlin, Project Pablo, Jerry Paper, Knxledge, Partynextdoor, Sampha, Brave Radar, Arca, kinda too many to mention. Music is so good right now
Jason: Is there anything you’d like your listeners to know as they experience Fresh Air?
Peter: Not really, just that it’s good to be calm and kind and full of love❤
You can stream or download Fresh Air while being calm and full of love right here: https://homeshake.bandcamp.com/
JASON MCCUE | Fresh Pear | KXSU Promotions Director