The album is an ode to minimalism: it sparkles assuredly, without feeling the need for sweeping gestures to achieve great effect.
While the album's highlights work on their own, Helium is best approached as a full listening experience, as it feels like a venture into a slightly different world than our own.
A deeply felt, personal album that, like his previous work, should serve as the perfect soundtrack to many a late-night contemplation hour.
With his new record ... it’s fair to say that Homeshake doesn’t need to master those vocal acrobatics. ‘Helium’ floats without them.
It may be his most honest album, as it sounds lonelier and smaller than any Homeshake album to date.
At times too lackadaisical to find tangible direction, Helium proves an impressive benchmark of what he’s capable of when he’s focused and sharp. But for now it feels like he’s just waking up.
While there are moments of intrigue and gentle grooves aplenty, all too often the songs on Helium float by like a pleasant breeze.
On Helium, Segar instead fills these vacancies with dopey synth patterns, his trademark vocal delivery of smooth and borderline erotic whispers and coos sound distant, as if Segar himself wasn't fully committed to what's coming out of his mouth.
Helium is another take on lo-fi R&B where the minimalism extends to performance and effort. It’s sleepy without an ounce of dreaminess; solidly produced with not enough catchiness.
The sheer lethargy of Helium at least creates, under anything less than the slightest scrutiny, a coherent experience that can be praised as a “vibe.”
Sagar sounds lethargic and detached, which may be the mood that he's going for; but when he sticks to the same tired motifs, it's hard to feel any more excited than him.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Sleep-inducing vocals over 90s drum patterns and Minecraft inspired synths. Helium sounds like a deflated balloon in the middle of a dark empty room. This album isn't offensively bad, it's offensively forgettable.
BEST TRACK: ANOTHER THING
WORST TRACKS: *EVERYTHING ELSE WAS EQUALLY FORGETTABLE*
3.0/10
Like a balloon, this album is pretty and fun to have around for the most part early on. The woozy production and airy vocals are pretty enjoyable even if not entirely mind-bogglingly different. After awhile, like a balloon, it starts to lose its air. It floats around still trying to maintain its shape for a period of time and then it deflates. By the end of this album, it feels like an empty balloon skin lying on the floor. You don't really know what to do with it. You don't want to throw it in ... read more
Though not reinventing the wheel, Helium is a wonderful dream that gives the exact effect it was going for
Background noise
Honestly it's just there nothing else much to be said
It's fine
Favorite track: couch cushion
1 | Early 1:30 | 30 |
2 | Anything at All 3:01 | 30 |
3 | Like Mariah 3:25 | 30 |
4 | Heartburn 0:35 | 20 |
5 | All Night Long 3:37 | 30 |
6 | Trudi and Lou 1:03 | 20 |
7 | Just Like My 3:28 | 50 |
8 | Nothing Could Be Better 2:51 | 60 |
9 | Other Than 3:33 | 30 |
10 | Salu Says Hi 1:27 | 20 |
11 | Another Thing 2:50 | 40 |
12 | Couch Cushion 2:14 | 20 |
13 | (Secret Track) 3:37 | 40 |