Photo by Moses Sihombing
Peter Sagar, of the laid-back R&B pop act Homeshake, tells me that he's not the biggest fan of playing shows, and it shows. The Montreal-based musician's performance, organized by the collective Studiorama, before a near-packed room at South Jakarta's Rossi Musik was decidedly low-key. He barely addressed the crowd, aside from explaining that there would be no encore, and his entire band took to the stage to perform a detached, minimalist, groove, moving methodically through a set list of infectiously chill pop songs.Not that any of this really matters. Homeshake plays a kind of sexy, laid-back R&B-influenced synth pop that sounds better in the bedroom, or at least on a pair of headphones, anyway. It's not the kind of stuff to set off a raucous live showādespite the fact that this was at Rossi, a place that even goes off for emo bands. But Sagar's fans know all of this. They know what to expect from a Homeshake show, and scanning the crowd of fans, most too young to be called Millennials anymore, the whole thing seemed like a success.I chatted with Sagar as he ate a plate of Indomie (with a fried egg on top, classic) before the show and talked about his life back in Montreal and why he prefers to make music in a studio, as opposed to on the stage.VICE Indonesia: Is this your first time in Southeast Asia?
Peter Sagar: Iāve been here once before, but its my first time in Jakarta. Itās cool, I like it. I mean itās very hot. I like that the clouds have been out. Itās been nice.Are you aware of whatās happening musically in this region?
Iām not. I mean I know Rich Brian, but everybody knows him. I actually donāt know any of his songs, i just know who he is. And when we knew we were coming here, we watched a video of him eating Indonesian food in New York.You live in Montreal. Whatās the music scene like over there?
Itās busy. A lot of people in Canada move there because itās inexpensive, relatively for a larger city. Itās not very big, especially compared to a place like Jakarta, but a lot of people move there because you donāt have to work a lot. Thereās also a lot of raves and parties and stuff that I never go to because I stay at home all the time, but yeah very, very busy music scene.Where would you go in Montreal to listen to music?
Just home. I stay at home a lot.I guess itās where you write your music too.
Uh huh. I do all my work at home. There was a studio where I recorded the first three records, but it fell apart recently because it was also a DIY venue and a jam space. Everyone just kinda got sick and tired of making it work. And then a new landlord came in and wanted to raise the rent by like $600 or something. So we were like 'Nope.' And now I record at home on my computer.Itās probably a lot cheaper too.
Yeah, it wasnāt too expensive to rent there, we were all pretty stingy about it. But itās definitely easier because I can just do it anytime I want. I donāt need to book time or anything.What time are you most productive? Do you write a lot at night?
I used to do most of my writing late at night. But I havenāt had good headphones in a while. My headphones broke and Iāve just been too lazy to get them fixed, so Iāve just been doing it while [my girlfriend] Salina is out of work during the day lately. And at night, well, my studio space is like a shared [space] Thereās no wall between the studio and our bedroom, so I canāt do it at night anymore.Your last album, Fresh Air has slicker production than your previous output. Was this deliberate?
Well I recorded both Midnight Snack and Fresh Air with this guy Jackson McIntosh. When we did Midnight Snack, it was the first time that the any of us recorded drum machines and synthesizers and we had been recording to a tape machine. So we didnāt really know what we were doing, so it came out sounding like that. Just more lo-fi and gnarlier. But this time around, we had a better idea of what to do with the instruments. And so yeah, it came out sounding a lot cleaner. We were very happy with it.Before Homeshake, you played with Mac DeMarco and you left due to their hectic touring schedule. How do you make sure itās different this time around?
Well, Iām the boss. So I donāt have to do anything I donāt want [laughs].Do you still hang out or talk to Mac?
Yeah. You know, we went to high school together. Weāve known each other for a long time.Whatās next for the rest of 2018? More touring?
Iām trying to cut the touring off where it is right now. We have a couple more things, but no big tours until Iāve got something recorded at least. After this Southeast Asia tour, Iāll be back home for a while. In a month, weāre about to do a six shows in the northeastern United States. A couple of one offs, and thatās it.Are you more of a recording musician or playing live kinda guy?
I like recording. You do it one time and then itās like forever. I forget like every show weāve ever played. I remember all the really bad ones [laughs]. So thatās kinda sad. I donāt know. Yeah, playing live is kinda not my favorite thing. And I know Iām about to do it. And itās going to be great, but itās not what I do music for.
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Peter Sagar: Iāve been here once before, but its my first time in Jakarta. Itās cool, I like it. I mean itās very hot. I like that the clouds have been out. Itās been nice.Are you aware of whatās happening musically in this region?
Iām not. I mean I know Rich Brian, but everybody knows him. I actually donāt know any of his songs, i just know who he is. And when we knew we were coming here, we watched a video of him eating Indonesian food in New York.You live in Montreal. Whatās the music scene like over there?
Itās busy. A lot of people in Canada move there because itās inexpensive, relatively for a larger city. Itās not very big, especially compared to a place like Jakarta, but a lot of people move there because you donāt have to work a lot. Thereās also a lot of raves and parties and stuff that I never go to because I stay at home all the time, but yeah very, very busy music scene.
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Just home. I stay at home a lot.I guess itās where you write your music too.
Uh huh. I do all my work at home. There was a studio where I recorded the first three records, but it fell apart recently because it was also a DIY venue and a jam space. Everyone just kinda got sick and tired of making it work. And then a new landlord came in and wanted to raise the rent by like $600 or something. So we were like 'Nope.' And now I record at home on my computer.Itās probably a lot cheaper too.
Yeah, it wasnāt too expensive to rent there, we were all pretty stingy about it. But itās definitely easier because I can just do it anytime I want. I donāt need to book time or anything.What time are you most productive? Do you write a lot at night?
I used to do most of my writing late at night. But I havenāt had good headphones in a while. My headphones broke and Iāve just been too lazy to get them fixed, so Iāve just been doing it while [my girlfriend] Salina is out of work during the day lately. And at night, well, my studio space is like a shared [space] Thereās no wall between the studio and our bedroom, so I canāt do it at night anymore.Your last album, Fresh Air has slicker production than your previous output. Was this deliberate?
Well I recorded both Midnight Snack and Fresh Air with this guy Jackson McIntosh. When we did Midnight Snack, it was the first time that the any of us recorded drum machines and synthesizers and we had been recording to a tape machine. So we didnāt really know what we were doing, so it came out sounding like that. Just more lo-fi and gnarlier. But this time around, we had a better idea of what to do with the instruments. And so yeah, it came out sounding a lot cleaner. We were very happy with it.Before Homeshake, you played with Mac DeMarco and you left due to their hectic touring schedule. How do you make sure itās different this time around?
Well, Iām the boss. So I donāt have to do anything I donāt want [laughs].Do you still hang out or talk to Mac?
Yeah. You know, we went to high school together. Weāve known each other for a long time.Whatās next for the rest of 2018? More touring?
Iām trying to cut the touring off where it is right now. We have a couple more things, but no big tours until Iāve got something recorded at least. After this Southeast Asia tour, Iāll be back home for a while. In a month, weāre about to do a six shows in the northeastern United States. A couple of one offs, and thatās it.Are you more of a recording musician or playing live kinda guy?
I like recording. You do it one time and then itās like forever. I forget like every show weāve ever played. I remember all the really bad ones [laughs]. So thatās kinda sad. I donāt know. Yeah, playing live is kinda not my favorite thing. And I know Iām about to do it. And itās going to be great, but itās not what I do music for.