Mac DeMarco
McBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Mac initially emerged in the indie music scene in 2012, and has since released six full-length studio albums: his debut 2, Salad Days, This Old Dog, Here Comes the Cowboy, Five Easy Hot Dogs and Guitar. He additionally released the mini-albums Rock and Roll Night Club in 2012 and Another One in 2015, as well as the compilation album One Wayne G in 2023. In 2018, DeMarco established his own record label by the name of "Mac's Record Label".
Before his commercial debut Rock and Roll Night Club in 2012, he made music by the pseudonym "Makeout Videotape" on Bandcamp. Throughout 2009 to 2010 he released albums under this name until in 2011 when he moved from Vancouver to Montreal, and started working as a solo artist, in which he didn't find any success, so he participated in medical experiments for money. In early 2012 however, Mac eventually signed to indie label Captured Tracks and released his debut extended play, Rock and Roll Night Club, on vinyl. Earlier, Green Burrito Records released the album on a limited edition 100-unit cassette run.
His style of music has been described as "blue wave" and slacker rock, or, by DeMarco himself, "jizz jazz".
Life and career
1990–2008: Early life and education
DeMarco was born in Duncan, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. His great-grandfather is Vernor Smith, Alberta's former Minister of Railways and Telephones, for whom DeMarco was named, and his grandfather was a judge of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta. His mother, Agnes DeMarco, later changed his name to McBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco after his father left and refused to pay child support when DeMarco was four years old. DeMarco is also of Italian descent.Mac DeMarco attended McKernan School for junior high. Around this time he started playing guitar, with lessons from his grandmother. During high school he was in several bands, including indie rock band the Meat Cleavers, alternative R&B group the Sound of Love and post-punk band Outdoor Miners, which was named after "Outdoor Miner", a song by English rock band Wire. He started smoking cigarettes as a teenager, which would become a significant part of his image. In January 2023, DeMarco said he no longer smokes.
After graduating from Strathcona High School in Edmonton in 2008, DeMarco became a backing musician. He then moved to Vancouver.
2009–2012: Early projects and ''Rock and Roll Night Club''
Living in the Killarney neighbourhood, he released a self-produced album, Heat Wave, as a part of the indie rock project Makeout Videotape in 2009. The album sold out its 500-unit run. DeMarco worked on "psychedelic" video projects during this time. He was joined by Alex Calder and Jen Clement, signed to Unfamiliar Records, and toured with Vancouver band Japandroids in 2009. In 2011, DeMarco moved from Vancouver to Montreal to begin recording as a solo artist. Failing to find work as a musician, he participated in medical experiments for money and worked on a road paving crew. On January 9, 2012, record label Captured Tracks announced the signing of DeMarco. In early 2012, he released an LP titled Rock and Roll Night Club. The four-track-recorded album features skits and slowed-down vocals.2012–2015: ''2'', ''Salad Days'' and ''Another One''
Rock and Roll Night Club impressed his new label enough that they agreed to release a full-length follow-up album. This release, entitled 2, was received well by critics, garnering a "Best New Music" designation from Pitchfork.On January 21, 2014, DeMarco announced the release of his upcoming second album, Salad Days, along with debuting the lead single "Passing Out Pieces". The record was released on April 1, 2014, and again received the "Best New Music" designation from Pitchfork. It was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.
DeMarco made his first talk show appearance when he performed the song "Let Her Go" on Conan on March 30, 2015. On April 22, 2015, DeMarco announced the release of an upcoming album titled Another One, which was released on August 7, 2015, in addition to a video depicting the making of Another One. DeMarco describes the album to be a collection of love songs, "It's just kind of like every angle of how somebody might feel if they're having strange feelings in their chest." On May 11, 2015, Captured Tracks released the first single of Another One, titled "The Way You'd Love Her". Another One received a generally favourable response from music critics, scoring 75/100 on Metacritic. Still in Rock has ranked this LP as the third best of 2015.
On July 8, 2015, DeMarco released a 9-track instrumental album titled Some Other Ones and called it a "BBQ soundtrack". The album was later re-released in 2023 on streaming services. Later that evening, he hosted a listening party in New York City for fans to hear Another One, where they could get free hot dogs if they donated to a food bank.
2017–2018: ''This Old Dog''
On January 31, 2017, DeMarco announced his third studio album, titled This Old Dog. He also released two singles from the album on the same day. This Old Dog was released on May 5, 2017.On October 10, 2017, DeMarco appeared on Charlie Rose, in which the two discussed the new album, as well as DeMarco's relationship with his father. Acting as bookends to the interview, DeMarco performed acoustic versions of This Old Dog, as well as Still Together.
On April 8, 2018, DeMarco appeared on FishCenter Live and had an interview with Max Simonet. He partnered with the non-profit organization Plus1 for his tours that year, and one dollar for every ticket purchase went to the Girls Rock Camp Alliance to: " girls, trans and gender-diverse young people through music education and mentorship."
2019–2020: ''Here Comes the Cowboy''
On March 5, 2019, DeMarco announced his fourth studio album Here Comes the Cowboy and shared the first single off the album, "Nobody". The album was released on May 10, 2019, on Mac's Record Label. A controversy emerged once it was pointed out online that DeMarco's album shared a similar title to the 2018 album Be the Cowboy by Mitski and that her album had also included a single called "Nobody". According to Pitchfork, DeMarco had "never listened to Mitski's album and learned about her album and song title only after determining his own album title and single". Mitski responded to the controversy on Twitter, stating, "I'm 100% sure mac & I just went fishing in the same part of the collective unconscious!". The album received mixed reviews from critics and audiences upon release. It marked his first top ten appearance in the US Billboard 200 at number 10.On September 7, 2020, DeMarco was featured on a collaboration with English artist Yellow Days, entitled "The Curse". On October 28, 2020, DeMarco was again featured on French musician Myd's single "Moving Men". An animated version of DeMarco also appeared in the music video for the single. Released October 28, 2020, DeMarco also appeared in the music video for the song "Whatever You Want" by Crowded House. DeMarco contributed a cover of the Metallica song "Enter Sandman" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021.
2021–2023: Line-up changes, ''Five Easy Hot Dogs'', "Heart to Heart" success and ''One Wayne G''
In October 2021, DeMarco returned to live performances following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His return to the stage was marked by changes to his live band, with the departure of longtime members Joe McMurray, Andrew White and Jon Lent, and the addition of Darryl Johns and JD Beck. Jon Lent left the band due to sexual assault, and was sentenced to 2 years in jail. DeMarco "immediately removed" Lent from the band after learning about his arrest. Andy White confirmed his departure shortly afterwards stating: "Mac's an old friend, life is long, and no one knows the future. I'm incredibly stoked to see his new line-up soon as I can. I loved his band before I was in it. I loved playing in it, and I will always look forward to what our bud is putting together in the future."DeMarco released an instrumental album, Five Easy Hot Dogs, on January 20, 2023. The fourteen-track album was recorded in different locations during a road trip from Los Angeles to Utah.
During the week of Five Easy Hot Dogs' release, the track "Heart to Heart" from DeMarco's previous album, Here Comes the Cowboy, became a viral hit on TikTok. As a result, the song became DeMarco's first to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at No. 83. The song also reached the top 10 and top 5 of Billboard's Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts, respectively.
On April 21, 2023, DeMarco released his first compilation album titled One Wayne G, online only, without any prior announcement. A post on the Instagram account for Mac's Record Label indicated a cut-down LP record and cassette release will be forthcoming. The compilation has been noted for being unusually long, with 199 tracks and a runtime of 8:43:20. Of the 199 tracks, 18 have full titles and lyrics, the remainder being instrumentals or having simple scratch vocals, suggesting the compilation is composed of demos as well as finished pieces. The title of the compilation appears to be an allusion to hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, combining the number 1 with Gretzky's jersey number, 99, making the number 199, the amount of tracks on the album.
The album, released without prior announcement, features 199 tracks of instrumental and demo recordings made between 2018 and 2023. With a runtime of just a little under nine hours, it received positive coverage for its experimental format and intimate atmosphere.