Album of the Week: Mac DeMarco, 'Another One'
by David Safar
August 10, 2015
Mac DeMarco's fourth studio album, Another One, is a mini-LP of eight songs that satisfies your curiosities but leaves you wanting more. With his trademark slacker image, the Canadian musician has found a following with both Gen X'ers and Millennials, writing about naïve love and chronic boredom. Now living on the outskirts of Queens, N.Y., DeMarco has infused Another One with an authenticity unlike anything you would expect from one of the most buzzed-about indie songwriters of the year.
The charm of Mac DeMarco is that he is the unsung hero of the disaffected Millennial. His music stands alone in texture, arrangements and tempo. The production is playful and lighthearted while the lyrics describe the cruelty of being young and trying to find love. This juxtaposition of music and lyrics can be alienating if you don't identify with the struggle Mac DeMarco seems to embody; he's an outsider in a world where people are endlessly connected via social media.
Yet, Another One also appeals to the sentiment of aging Gen X'ers nostalgic for the DIY indie rock. There is something subversive in DeMarco's approach to being an artist. Moving out of Brooklyn for the less glamorous borough of Queens, the focused arrangements on songs like "The Way You'd Love Her" and "Without Me" might be the byproduct of fewer pressures and distractions. The liner notes give you a glimpse into this reality as he credits a handful of friends, Jizz Jazz Studios, and an auto repair shop not far from home.
If you really want to get to know Mac DeMarco, make sure you listen to the very end of the album: If you thought his music was unconventional, his invitation to have coffee with him is anything but ordinary.
Another One is out now on Captured Tracks.