Mac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco, the frontman and prince of Indie Rock. DeMarco grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, with his brother and was raised by his single mother since his father left him at a young age. DeMarco was in a family full of musicians that put him into lessons, although he wasn’t into music. That is until he picked up a guitar with friends and got completely hooked. When DeMarco graduated in the summer of 2008, he wrote and recorded a collection of songs when he moved out to Vancouver for its warm climate. Eventually, Makeout Tape got him into live performances, signed to Unfamiliar Records, and added additional players, such as Alex Calder and Jen Clement. Makeout Tape continued to heighten his career, and he made strange psychedelic videos that included him and his group. Suddenly he departed to Montreal in 2011 and dropped the band to start a solo career.
In early 2012 he signed into Brooklyn indie label Captured Tracks and shortly after released his debut mini-LP, Rock and Roll Night Club(2012), then a more tenacious, mature, full-length album 2 was released, which exploded his career. DeMarco dictates that he only wore a pair of underwear in the making of the entire album. In this record, he writes about the highs and lows of his life, which included many family themes.
After touring, Mac DeMarco drew back to his apartment in Brooklyn to record his psychedelic, mellow, and 2nd full-length album, Salad Days(2014). This album took a month of recording and writing that was more serious with his explored views on life and love. Kids always ask him, “what’s the trick?” his response goes, “it’s all pitch control du***sses.” Following a lengthy tour, he returned to his seaside home in Queens to record his second mini-LP, Another One(2015), my personal favorite. This album is mostly synthesized, tropical, and smooth, with his guitar and synthesizer bringing up love, heartbreak, and acceptance topics. My personal favorite track on this album is No Other Heart expressing that “maybe she’s already got something going on, but if she came with me, I’d make her feel real happiness.”
This Old Dog(2017) strays away from his jokes and focuses on his relationship with his father, a man who chose alcohol and drugs over him. These tracks reflect the pain of loneliness and the struggle to mature to become his own man. Originally, This Old Dog wasn’t expected to be released since it was just for himself until he decided to abruptly release it. DeMarco calls Here Comes the Cowboy(2019) his cowboy/country album making the songwriting true to himself, making it smooth, quiet, and slow. One of the tracks Heart to Heart was explained by DeMarco; this song was written for his relationship with Mac Miller, who was a close friend to him until he passed away. His final album, Five Easy Hot Dogs(2023), was a different kind of album for DeMarco, containing absolute instrumentals pieces written on a road trip. The various tracks on this album were named after the cities they were created in. His growth throughout his career truly shows the maturity to grow into the man he is now.