Preview: HOMESHAKE and duendita to hit the 9:30 Club

Montréal musician Peter Sagar left Mac DeMarco’s live band in 2014 and soon made a name for himself with the dream pop project HOMESHAKE.

HOMESHAKE’s sophomore album, “Midnight Snack,” coined as “indie-pop comfort food” by SPIN Magazine, took the lo-fi world by storm with its single “Give It To Me,” which combines sweet chimes with its psychedelic bass-heavy beat, and two years later, in 2019, “Fresh Air” was born. With the assistance of synthpop artist Lucas Nathan (aka. Jerry Paper), HOMESHAKE served up sweet, hypnagogic R&B sounds with tracks like “Every Single Thing.” It’s an idyllic duet, complete with an earworm hook and bubbly bass driving the instrumental –– well-deserving of its over 34 million streams on Spotify.

HOMESHAKE sounds as if Clairo made music without picking up a guitar, and became even sadder. It’s beautiful in its minimalism, showcasing prominent vocal melodies and basslines overtop washed-out seas of synths to get lost in. It’s definitely lowkey, perfect for lounging on rainy days or as a focusing backtrack for a study night.

2021 saw the arrival of Sagar’s fifth solo LP, “Under The Weather.” Another languorous dreamscape, the record turns more toward the sentimental by turning down the tempo. Detuned pads mark “Passenger Seat,” a reminiscence of walking around on a hot summer day while being hung up on unspoken words. “Inaminit” holds a groovy, drum machine beat alongside a plucky synth solo to juxtapose decidedly morose lyrics.

HOMESHAKE returns to D.C. once again on his Under the Weather tour at the 9:30 Club at 10 p.m., where he will be accompanied by soul singer duendita. The NYC-based artist brings spirituality and love to their mellow tracks. Since the release of their 2018 album, “direct line to My Creator,” they’ve released a handful of equally entrancing singles, like “yaya my favorite,” which lays down hypnotic vocals in a style similar to gospel, and their most recent “bio,” which duendita describes as an “existential dance track.” While it may not be a show where you open up a mosh pit, you still won’t want to miss this late-night event. Grab tickets here!