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.
Khmlwugh
Homeshake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My lips are dry, my shoes are too tight
I feel weird
And I know I needed you
She shouldn't have to be
The one who's taking care of me
And that's
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
I guess I'll have a couple tonight
She's rolling one to pass the time
'Til I'm home
She's waiting there alone
And it feels like it's the end
When everything falls in again
It's just
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting
Oh, again
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting
I know for sure
Everything that I feel is in your mind
It's yours
Only thing we can do is lay down on the floor
Passing it back and forth until it's out
And then
Sliding under the covers with our head
In our bed
The song "Khmlwugh" by Homeshake seems to be a commentary on a relationship that has lost its spark. The opening lines set the scene for the singer's discomfort, as he expresses that something doesn't feel right; his lips are dry, and his shoes are too tight. He then reveals that he needed his partner, but she shouldn't have to take care of him. The chorus repeats the same lines twice, indicating that the "kissing, hugging, making love, and waking up and getting high" are the only things keeping the relationship going. The singer admits to having a couple of drinks to pass the time until he's home with his partner, who's waiting for him. This is where the relationship seems to fall apart as the singer describes feeling like it's the end.
The second verse of the song seems to reveal a moment of clarity for the singer, as he admits that everything he feels is in his partner's mind; it's hers to control. The only thing they can do is lay down together and pass a joint back and forth until it's gone. The song ends with the singer and his partner sliding under the covers with their heads in their bed, suggesting that they're both feeling defeated and maybe even a bit hopeless about the future of their relationship.
Overall, "Khmlwugh" paints a picture of a relationship that has lost its passion and excitement. The only things keeping it afloat are physical affection and substance abuse. The singer seems to be struggling to find a way to connect with his partner emotionally, and the song ends on a somewhat pessimistic note.
Line by Line Meaning
Something doesn't feel quite right
The singer feels uneasy or off.
My lips are dry, my shoes are too tight
The singer is experiencing physical discomfort that's adding to their unease.
I feel weird
The singer feels strange or abnormal due to their discomfort.
And I know I needed you
The artist recognizes that they're in need of someone to provide emotional support.
She shouldn't have to be
The artist acknowledges that it's not fair to burden someone else with their emotional needs.
The one who's taking care of me
The singer recognizes that they're in a state of emotional vulnerability and require someone to take care of them.
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
The singer is using physical intimacy and affection as a coping mechanism for their emotional distress.
Waking up and getting high
The artist is also using substances to distract themselves from their emotional turmoil.
I guess I'll have a couple tonight
The artist decides to numb their emotions with alcohol.
She's rolling one to pass the time
The artist's partner is also using substances to distract herself while waiting for the artist.
'Til I'm home
The partner is waiting for the singer to come home so they can be together.
She's waiting there alone
The partner is alone while waiting for the artist to return.
And it feels like it's the end
The singer senses that their relationship may be at risk due to their emotional numbness and reliance on substances.
When everything falls in again
The singer fears that everything will collapse and return to chaos.
I know for sure
The singer is confident in their understanding of themselves.
Everything that I feel is in your mind
The artist believes their partner has a deep understanding of their emotions and what they need.
It's yours
The artist trusts their partner with their emotional well-being and places the responsibility on them.
Only thing we can do is lay down on the floor
The singer suggests that physical touch and closeness can provide comfort and stability in times of emotional turmoil.
Passing it back and forth until it's out
The singer and their partner pass a substance between them until it's gone or they're both completely numb.
And then
After using substances, the artist and their partner retreat to their bed.
Sliding under the covers with our head
The artist and their partner take refuge under the covers where they feel safe and comforted.
In our bed
The bed represents a safe and intimate space where the artist and their partner can escape their emotional distress.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Peter J. Sagar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BarryLlewellynperson
Lyrics:
Something doesn't feel quite right
My lips are dry, my shoes are too tight
I feel weird
And I know I needed you
She shouldn't have to be
The one who's taking care of me
And that's
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
(x2)
I guess I'll have a couple tonight
She's rolling one to pass the time
Till I'm home
She's waiting there alone
And it feels like it's the end
But everything falls in again
It's just
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
Hoh yeah,
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
I know for sure
Everything that I feel is in your mind
It's yours
Only thing we can do is lay down on the floor
Passing it back and forth until it's out
And then
Sliding under the covers
(??anyone get the last bit?)
@treasure6835
something doesn't feel quite right
my lips are dry my shoes are too tight
i feel weird
and i know I needed you
she shouldn't have to be the one who's talking care of me
and thats
kissing, huggin, making love, and
waking up, and getttin high
kissing, huggin, making love, and
waking up, and getttin high
guess i'll have a couple tonight
she's rollin gone to pass the time till I'm home
she's waiting there alone
and it feels like its the end
when everything falls in again its just
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting
Ohh, again
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting high
Kissing, hugging, making love, and
Waking up and getting
I know for sure
Everything that I feel is in your mind
It's yours
Only thing we can do is lay down on the floor
Passing it back and forth until it's out
And then
Sliding under the covers with our head
In our bed
@LeererZigarettenAuto
yesterday I saw Peter
He refused to take a Picture
With me, too much liquor
I thought he liked me
but hes too far too reach
yesterday I hold my camera
to take a pic of peter
but he smashed it to the ground
I thought he was a cool cat
but hes just a cold dog
oh, yesterday I thought I'd meet peter
at a concert in Topica
but he just didnt show up
how would you treat her, peter, little cheater
my girlfriend went to highschool
listening to homeshake's peter
and she suddenly remembered
how he treat her
she told me she cried
heart was bleeding
so I said its just peter
so common, as a repeater
he is just
a silly singer, you are sweeter
@kentborges5114
SOUNDIN' GREAT IN 2017 AND EVEN BETTER 2022 !
@BarryLlewellynperson
Lyrics:
Something doesn't feel quite right
My lips are dry, my shoes are too tight
I feel weird
And I know I needed you
She shouldn't have to be
The one who's taking care of me
And that's
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
(x2)
I guess I'll have a couple tonight
She's rolling one to pass the time
Till I'm home
She's waiting there alone
And it feels like it's the end
But everything falls in again
It's just
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
Hoh yeah,
Kissing
Hugging
Making
Love, and
Waking
Up and
Getting
High
I know for sure
Everything that I feel is in your mind
It's yours
Only thing we can do is lay down on the floor
Passing it back and forth until it's out
And then
Sliding under the covers
(??anyone get the last bit?)
@MrTravisk123
under the covers of our bed??
@lenarranel12
BarryLlewellynperson hop in
@BarryLlewellynperson
<3
@paulinaperales5326
to me sounded like sliding under the covers once again
@amandac4417
“With her ha-and, hopped In”?
@sirlongbottom
Homeshake is easily the most slept on band I know of
@brianabradshaw838
one of my all time favorite homeshake songs
@lauramaria9777
Amo esse som💛