It’s a feeling that comes through not only in the gauziness of the production, but also in the vulnerability of the songs themselves. Sagar began writing Helium shortly after completing Fresh Air, and in the middle of what he calls a “binge” reading of Haruki Murakami. It’s not hard to picture the narrator of these songs as a distinctly Murakamian character: He moves through time by himself, bemused by and insulated from a world he doesn’t quite seem to have been made for. Everyone Sagar encounters here — including himself — seems to be a step removed from present reality, whether by technology (“Anything At All”), solitude (“Just Like My”), or sweet fantasy (“Like Mariah”). The record is stitched together by a series of instrumental interludes, synthesizer explorations whose haziness adds to the suspicion that this is all an uncanny dream.
Which isn’t to say that Sagar is unmoored in his own world. In fact, much of Helium is the result of what he calls “a much clearer mental state” than the one he’d experienced shortly following Fresh Air’s completion. “I had a better idea of the sound that was working for this record and what it was turning into as I was writing the songs,” he says. That’s owing in part to the album’s genesis. Where his previous three records were recorded directly to one-inch tape in a local studio, Helium was recorded and mixed by Sagar alone in his apartment in Montreal’s Little Italy neighborhood between April and June of this year. Freed of the rigid editing process he’d endured before, he was able to lose himself in pursuit of tone and texture. “I didn’t have to book time, compete for good hours, wait on availability. I did a lot of it at home in the middle of the night,” he says. “It made me get more obsessive about details.”
A budding interest in ambient and experimental music — particularly Visible Cloaks, DJ Rashad, and Jlin — pushed him to tinker with the micro-sounds that surround the songs here. It’s a process he found creatively invigorating; even the tinkling boom-bap of Young Thug informs “All Night Long.” It’s a far cry from the chorus-laden guitars of his earlier work. “Ever since I started introducing synthesizers into my music, I’ve gotten more interested in texture,” he says. “I’d hit a creative dead end [with guitars], so synths took over.” The warm chords of a Roland Juno 60 form the album’s base, and gave him a clean palette with which to work. “No tape hiss, no humming power outlets and shitty mixing boards,” as he puts it. “Everything just came out nice and pure.”
Still, for all the growth it demonstrates and the ways it luxuriates in its discoveries, Helium is at its core a record that isn’t beholden to any particular set of sounds, textures, or instruments to get its point across. In that sense, it feels closer to the bone, at once assured of its vision and remarkably vulnerable. It’s perhaps our purest view yet of Homeshake’s home country.
Move This Body
HOMESHAKE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's something that I'm used to now
Maybe if I step out to call her
She would know what to do
Cuz baby I'm in need of something
And if anybody knows it's you
What i should be doing with my feelings
Do you think that i just need to move this body now
Baby you know that I should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Baby you know that I should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Tryna make my way through the bodies
Sweat is soakin' through my clothes
Walkin' out the door when she saw me
With all the secrets that she knew
So she takes my hand, I feel nervous
Cuz movin's what she plans to do
Whispered in my ear and I heard it
(I think you just need to move your body now)
Baby you know that I should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Baby you know that i should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Baby you know that I should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Baby you know that I should
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
(Hey baby, you wanna come dance with me
I think you'd might like it
Its not so hard
C'mon")
The lyrics of Homeshake's "Move This Body" follow the singer as they stand alone in the corner of a party, feeling disconnected from the crowd. They contemplate calling someone, hoping they'll have the answers to their emotional turmoil. However, before they can do anything, a woman they have a history with appears and takes hold of their hand. They feel nervous, but she whispers in their ear that they just need to move their body now. The chorus repeats the phrase "Baby you know that I should, maybe if you ask we could dance all night," showing the singer's willingness to let go and enjoy the moment.
The lyrics appear to be about the internal struggle of trying to navigate complicated emotions. The singer is looking for guidance and connection but is also hesitant to let go and be vulnerable. The appearance of the woman who takes their hand and whispers in their ear could symbolize the need for external influences to push us in the right direction. The repetition of "move this body" could be interpreted as a way to physically release emotions and let them out through dance.
Overall, the song's lyrics touch on the themes of connection, vulnerability, and letting go through the medium of dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing all alone in the corner
Being isolated in a helpless situation is something that I have adapted to and now I am standing alone in the corner.
It's something that I'm used to now
Being by myself and feeling lonely has become a routine part of my life.
Maybe if I step out to call her
Perhaps I should leave my current situation and reach out to her for assistance.
She would know what to do
I have faith in her to guide me in the right direction.
Cuz baby I'm in need of something
I am feeling an intense desire for something that I am currently lacking.
And if anybody knows it's you
If anyone can understand my needs, it would be you.
What i should be doing with my feelings
I am unsure of how to manage my emotions and need some advice.
Do you think that i just need to move this body now
Could it be that physical movement and dancing would be the solution to my emotional issues?
Baby you know that I should
You are aware that I require some form of assistance.
Maybe if you ask we could dance all night
Perhaps spending the night dancing together would be a favorable way to alleviate my emotional distress.
Tryna make my way through the bodies
Attempting to navigate through the crowd of people.
Sweat is soakin' through my clothes
Being in this setting is causing me to perspire heavily, to the point that my clothes are becoming drenched.
Walkin' out the door when she saw me
She observed me trying to leave the area.
With all the secrets that she knew
She possessed knowledge of private matters that I had not wanted to be revealed.
So she takes my hand, I feel nervous
She reached out and took hold of my hand, causing me to feel anxious.
Cuz movin's what she plans to do
Her intentions are to get me to dance and move my body.
Whispered in my ear and I heard it
She spoke softly into my ear, and I was able to hear her message clearly.
(I think you just need to move your body now)
I believe that dancing and physical activity would greatly benefit you at this moment.
Hey baby, you wanna come dance with me
Hey, would you like to dance with me?
I think you'd might like it
I believe that, if you give it a chance, you will enjoy it.
Its not so hard
Dancing is not a difficult task.
C'mon
Let's do it together.
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Juan Cruz
Besides being a cool science guy, Carl Sagan comes from hell to drop this goodass tune
Peper Romia
I was sinking into a real sullen mood and then things took a funky turn and made me smile. Thanks for that dudes
Glena Duarte
Uma das melhores do album!
Mateus da Silva
é a melhor, pra mim
Samuel Cedeño
Esto es magia no se como puede no haberlo escuchado antes :"(
Daniel
No pasa nada, ya lo escuchaste :3
Edu Olv
me encanta esta canción 😍😍😍
Shayla Schiebout
This beat is dope
Nathan Downing
Band or not she's right
Jühn
This is dope af holy shit