Mac DeMarco “Salad Days” Album Review

I have a picture I took on my phone of Mac Demarco wearing a bra on his head. A girl threw it on stage when I saw him perform in Philadelphia. He simply smiled and put it on his head, where it stayed for the next two songs. There is a shocking disparity between Mac Demarco’s live shows and his studio recordings. Live, he puts on a crazy show filled with energy, silly jokes, a childish sense of adventure, and his signature gap toothed smile. His studio albums, however, are more laid back and relaxing. There’s a documentary of him on YouTube called “Pepperoni Playboy,” a playful but poignant look into who Mac is, and how the magic happens. He records all of his music in his Brooklyn apartment, a neat little setup located under a bunk bed. Demarco knows what he’s doing and he does it well to craft a fine lo-fi sound.

In less than a quarter second into the album the vocals come in. Most albums start with an instrumental intro. Mac just dives right in singing. He’s got something to say, and he isn’t going to wait to tell you or sugarcoat it any bit. In less than ten seconds into the album his falsetto comes out, reminiscent of a jazzy chamber singer. The whole album has a jazzy feel to it, in addition to the overarching lo-fi psych-guitar pop feel. I’ve read a few attempts to try to come up with a genre for Mac Demarco from “Slacker Rock” to “Jizz Jazz.” I’m not particularly one to genre-pick. I recommend you listen for yourself and try to come up with your own kooky genre name.

Mac is no stranger to guitar pop. His jangly guitars are soothing. He employs 7^th chords into his music to compliment his jazzy voice. Mac Demarco is a phenomenal rhythm guitarist but sadly his guitar can get lost in the mix sometimes. The lead guitar lines are the driving force of the music. The drums are simple, but this is a good thing in this scenario. The minimalist drums keep the tone of the music calm. The bass is simple as well, and fits in perfectly. It sounds as if someone were humming along to the tracks. There are also some keys in the mix on a few songs. They sound very Ariel Pink-esque and show that the artist is expanding his songwriting. Mac sings about the refusal of growing up and “rolling through life / to roll over and die.” He also sings about his girlfriend in a few of the songs. After the last song on the album, there a small period of silence, then you hear Mac come on and say “Hi guys. This is Mac. Thank you for joining me. See you again soon. Buh bye.” I could not think of a better way he could have ended the album.

Salad Days benefits from the relatively new return of vinyl. People are now more often listening to records as a whole instead of just singles. This is good because Salad Days does not really have any standout singles that are begging for FM stardom (if that even exists anymore) but it just sounds so darn fantastic listened to as a whole. This is probably what he was going for, anyway. The album flows as one continuous unit.

This is Mac’s third album after “Rock and Roll Nightclub” and “2.” He has been able to effectively mature as a musician and songwriter without going crazy genre hopping or changing his sound completely. Listening to a new Mac Demarco album feels like seeing someone after summer break in school growing up. They are still the kid you like so much, but a little older, little wiser, and filled with new tricks and tales to tell. My favorite tracks are “Salad Days” and “Picking up the Pieces” but I more seriously recommend the entire album as a whole.

Salad Days is best enjoyed on the porch on a clear summer day, where your only worry in the world is whether or not your cigarette ashes will fall into your Miller High Life.