25.03.19
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Over the phone, Peter Sagar – better known as Homeshake – is unflappably chill.

Once a guitarist in Mac DeMarco’s live band, the Montreal-based singer and multi-instrumentalist made a slick transition into silky bedroom R&B in 2014. Since then, he’s released four studio albums, all dripping in lo-fi, wonky jazz grooves and his signature honey-dipped falsetto. Here, he talks bad habits, socialist memes and what helps him keep his cool.

How would your friends describe you in three words?

‘Where is he?’

Best tip for getting through the futility of modern life?

I’m gonna have to go with moving slowly – just moving really slowly from place to place. I don’t like getting too stressed out.

What’s your worst habit?

I chew my cuticles really badly. My fingers are a nightmare, this manifestation of stress. There’s always something in the distance giving me anxiety and I don’t know how to stop. My partner Selena freaks out at me, she’s like, ‘you can’t keep doing this, you look like you just had a horrible manicure.’

What’s your earliest childhood memory?

I have one memory of my mom passing out when I was getting my first injection. I developed a full phobia of needles. The idea of putting something in me or taking anything out of me is what really gets me about injections. Oh, and I’m not an anti-vaxxer or some dumb shit. I just can’t not pass out at the sight of a needle.

What annoys you the most in this world?

When people are mean to my partner Selena.

What would you want written on your tombstone?

“Lived casually.”

Favourite meme?

The Gritty memes. He’s the mascot of the ice hockey team the Philadelphia Flyers. His image has been adopted by leftist memers and it’s just his big orange face with text about the proletariat revolution. It’s so good. He’s our champion.

The worst thing about the Internet?

The comment sections. YouTube comments in particular. You can click on any video and it’s just the worst place where people share ideas.

The best thing about the internet?

Free music. I like to pirate things. I love illegally streaming movies, it’s the best.

Do you get pissed off when people pirate your music?

No, that would make me the biggest hypocrite. I’ve been doing that my whole life. I try not to do it when it’s smaller acts. I buy a lot of stuff on Bandcamp now I can afford extra things in my life, but if some kid can’t afford Spotify and needs to rip my music then that doesn’t bother me at all.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?

Love and support from my sweetheart.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever given?

I give pretty terrible advice. If I ever have, I don’t know about it. Don’t trust me.

What city really feels like home?

Montreal because I’ve been here for eight years. My parents left my hometown so the house I grew up in isn’t there anymore. When I go back to my hometown, it doesn’t feel like home at all. When I go see my parents at their new place it doesn’t feel like home either.

Have you read anything good lately?

I don’t really read books, but my friend did a really good tweet that was a pun about a Pavement song that I liked. I thought about that for a couple more hours after I read it.

What makes you feel nostalgic?

Ugh, everything. I’m really, really nostalgic. It’s stupid, it seems like a waste of energy, but I can’t help it. I mean, is there such thing as negative nostalgia? I always think of it as a positive thing because people are never nostalgic for something shitty, like being born in the 30s.

What’s the biggest realisation you’ve had in the past year?

I had a realisation about my own mental health. That’s all I’m going to say.

What’s the weirdest party you’ve ever been to?

There was this one party in high school that was very big and there was a fight and a gun. It wasn’t really weird, it was a regular sketchy winter party on the west side of Edmonton.

Favourite food?

I love noodles. Spaghetti, ramen, it’s all I eat.

What has disappointed you lately?

I was really disappointed that nobody booked me to play a show in Mexico. Obviously the ‘come to Brazil’ joke happened and everyone had a laugh at the expense of these poor kids wanting to watch live music, but I’ve been getting a lot of requests for Mexico and I really want to go there. It feels like it would be great for everyone, I don’t know what the problem is.

Heavy metal or EDM, for the rest of time?

What even is EDM?

Helium is out now via Sinderlyn.

Homeshake plays Field Day, London, on Friday 7 June