Peter Sagar, former Mac Demarco guitarist, started Homeshake in 2013. Since then, Homeshake has released three albums, their newest one titled Fresh Air (2017). It seems like I’ve been seeing Homeshake everywhere this year. Between the new album and consistently hearing their music on Spotify-curated playlists, Homeshake also opened for Mac Demarco at the Greek Theatre a few months ago. Now, Homeshake is selling out shows. I was able to catch them in Orange County at The Observatory, along with Enjoy and Mild High Club.
It felt like a regular Thursday night listening to lo-fi indie pop and electronic, except I was at a concert venue that felt out of place among all the office buildings. But I mean, other than that, it was a totally a regular Thursday night. I say that because the concert was as calm, cool, and collected as the music by the three bands. There was no moshing, loud screaming, or drink spilling. Just peaceful swaying, approving head nods, and soft smiles.
Mild High Club was laid back with their swoony, psychedelic melodies from “Homage” and “Windowpane.” Taking their time to get the set-up right in between songs, the band gave off a homemade vibe and an air of familiarity. Their set ended too soon, but that didn’t stop people from passing up their vinyl covers and sharpies for autographs.
A short thirty minutes later, Sagar walked to his keyboard to the right of center stage. The first thing he said was an apology to all the fans he would be keeping his back to all night. It was a shock to hear just how deep his normal voice is because if Homeshake is known for one thing, it’s Sagar’s impeccably high-pitched and gentle falsetto. A few moments later, the band jumped right into the jazzy, sensual strums of “Hello Welcome.” In the middle of the set, Sagar cheekily held up a bundled up t-shirt in his hand and told the crowd, “I’ve been watching a lot of basketball lately, and you know how during commercial breaks they have those t-shirt guns?” After throwing it predictably in the center of the pit, he made sure to reward the rest of the audience with his three most popular songs back-to-back: “Khmlwugh,” “Give It to Me,” and “Making A Fool Of You.” The entire night was relaxed and fun due to Homeshake’s carefree and smooth performance. This band single handedly invented their own subgenre of indie pop and knew exactly how to deliver it at a live concert. They slowed down their already slow songs, embellished the falsettos with autotune, and had people scatting along to their recognizable guitar riffs.
Homeshake is currently on tour in support of his new 2017 album, Fresh Air. Tickets can be found here.
Article and Photos by Annie Nguyen