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.
Nothing Could Be Better
HOMESHAKE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doing something slow
Mentionin' she's headin' out
To meet people that we know
Maybe I should come along
Maybe I should stay
I could wear my newest pair
Maybe we could have a date
Nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you (do, do-do-do, do, do)
Sliding through the alleyway
Get a thing to drink
Looking in each other's eyes
Hope I never have to blink
Skip out on the social call
Busy holding hands
Got me smiling finally
Got no reason to be sad
Nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you
No, nothing could be better
Better than you (do, do-do-do, do, do)
The song "Nothing Could Be Better" by Homeshake portrays a moment where the singer is sitting, doing something slow, and mentions that his partner is about to meet people they know. Though he's initially hesitant, he considers going along with her and even suggests they make it a date. The chorus repeats the phrase "Nothing could be better, better than you," emphasizing the singer's love and appreciation for his partner. In the second verse, the couple leaves the social gathering and instead opts to share an intimate moment with one another, looking into each other's eyes and holding hands. The singer reflects on how their time together has left him feeling happy and content.
The lyrics of the song capture the authenticity and simplicity of a loving relationship. It is all about finding joy in the small moments spent with the ones we love. Homeshake's use of easygoing melodies and smooth vocals only adds to the overall mood of the song, allowing listeners to feel as though they are witnessing a private moment between the couple. "Nothing Could Be Better" is an ode to the beauty found in the mundane aspects of life and serves as a reminder to cherish those we hold dear.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sitting like I do
I was lounging around like usual
Doing something slow
Not doing anything too busy or strenuous
Mentionin' she's headin' out
I brought up that she was planning to leave
To meet people that we know
She was going to hang out with some mutual acquaintances
Maybe I should come along
I was considering joining her
Maybe I should stay
Or maybe I should stay put
I could wear my newest pair
If I went, I could wear my fresh kicks
Maybe we could have a date
Maybe it could be a romantic outing for us
Nothing could be better
If I'm with you, everything is perfect
Better than you
You are the pinnacle of my happiness
Sliding through the alleyway
We're walking through a backstreet
Get a thing to drink
We're finding somewhere to quench our thirst
Looking in each other's eyes
We're gazing affectionately at each other
Hope I never have to blink
Not wanting to lose this moment of intimacy
Skip out on the social call
We're thinking of skipping the gathering we were supposed to go to
Busy holding hands
Our hands are linked, we're preoccupied with each other
Got me smiling finally
You make me happy and it shows
Got no reason to be sad
I'm content, and everything feels right
No, nothing could be better
Together, nothing could surpass this moment
Better than you (do, do-do-do, do, do)
You are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Peter J Sagar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bland stan
Lyrics:
I was sitting like i do
Doing something slow
Mentioned that she's headed out
To meet people that we know
Maybe i should come along
Maybe i should stay
I could wear my newest pair
Maybe we could have a date
Nothing could be better
Better than u
(2x)
Sliding through the alleyway
Get a thing to drink
Looking in each other’s eyes
Hope i never have to blink
Skip out on the social call
Busy holding hands
Got me smiling finally
Got no reason to be sad
Nothing could be better
Better than u
(2x)
Trainwhrek
I was sittin down somewhere.
Like i often do.
Maybe i could be someone.
Id like to be someone with you.
I think this was made for us.
Youre what im into.
I tell myself to be myself.
Im myself when im with you.
Christian Lee
His voice gets higher every record. We won't be able to hear him by 2020
Aesthetic. loser
Well see
xdazamx
Pfft dog would be jamming though
Hailey Marie grande
Wow LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Seeds Needs
High-pitch Eric would be proud
Omar Castillo
@Q I think because as we grow we loose many of the higher frequencies
bland stan
Lyrics:
I was sitting like i do
Doing something slow
Mentioned that she's headed out
To meet people that we know
Maybe i should come along
Maybe i should stay
I could wear my newest pair
Maybe we could have a date
Nothing could be better
Better than u
(2x)
Sliding through the alleyway
Get a thing to drink
Looking in each other’s eyes
Hope i never have to blink
Skip out on the social call
Busy holding hands
Got me smiling finally
Got no reason to be sad
Nothing could be better
Better than u
(2x)
Antonio Chappell
Can you do pharrell flash please
Eve Lo
You know people can ether like or dislike its art and as long as there is some kind of reaction it’s successful. I personally love. We all have opinions. To the person who said this has no soul I totally disagree. This is a very honest, simple song about the feelings you have while you’re around someone you love. For me the sound captures a moment in the morning when you’re walking up with your partner in bed just laying there, staring up at the ceiling and then looking over at each other. Very specific but that is what I got out of it and my interpretation. Love this and your earlier work.
Blu
As someone that is going to school right now for motion graphics and graphic design this is literally my favorite music video and I think that it has so much soul