It was only March, when Peter Sagar released the last Homeshake record. He's back again with Horsie, a more muted affair. Still, there are charms aplenty here for those of a mood to give this one some consideration.
From the modestly understated title cut and on to the clipped and despondent bedroom funk of "Blunt Talk", Sagar's clearly intent on creating a vibe, a mood, and one which will not sound forced or overthought. This is remarkably down-tempo material with a number like "Dinner Plate" nearly floating away. That Segar makes this work is impressive as in other hands there'd be accusations of lazy intent. Homeshake releases have a weird way of sneaking up on a listener though.
When he wants to, Segar can work up a bit more energy, like on the spry "Nothing 2 See", a selection with a whole young-Prince-dabbling-in-the-studio-vibe about it. However, Segar seems determined to conjure a feeling here throughout Horsie of the end of a party, or the hangover morning after. It's a record full of pleasures that echo the sort of synth pop and prefab soul lots of us played in the Eighties, but it's also a sort of shoegaze record without any guitar squall on it. If ever you were going to lob that dream pop label at something, this would be a good time to do it.
Horsie by Homeshake is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Matthew Yoscary]