I Listened to All Nine Hours of Mac DeMarco’s New Album So You Don’t Have To
But you should. And here’s what you need to know.
Famed for his genre-bending style, evocative lyrics, and serpentine guitar, Mac DeMarco has quietly made himself the face of alternative rock – almost too quietly.
Raised in Alberta, Canada, DeMarco is notorious for his elusive, reserved style. In a world filled with musicians desperate for attention, DeMarco gives few interviews, rarely drops new material, and lives under the radar.
After releasing his 2019 album Here Comes the Cowboy, DeMarco took a four-year hiatus, leaving fans hungry for new music and wondering what might come next, if anything. During that break, DeMarco released little more than a few one-off singles and a handful of demos, none of which hinted at the direction his career might take. Connecting with him live was no easier, as he canceled countless performances, most notably his 2022 North American tour. Rumors of DeMarco’s retirement began circulating, leaving fans to worry that they might never hear new material. Over the past few years, life for DeMarco fans has been one of childlike longing and maternal worry.
Hope peered over the horizon this January, when DeMarco released his fifth career album, Five Easy Hot Dogs. For a moment, fans exhaled, but reviews were underwhelming. Always hard to pigeonhole—DeMarco has called his style of slacker rock “jizz jazz”—Hot Dogs had a running time of just 34 minutes, and the strictly instrumental album played more like a demo tape than a cohesive, living work. It abandoned DeMarco’s signature guitar playing and poetic lyrics in favor of a slower, more self-conscious style. The project also lacked direction, taking listeners on a looping path of punchless drums and aimless bass that never quite finds its way home.
In the wake of Hot Dogs, even some of Demarco’s most loyal fans began to lose hope.
They needn’t have worried.
On Friday, DeMarco did more than just issue his second album of the year – he released the equivalent of a new discography. In a single day, he dropped 199 tracks in an epic nine-hour release titled One Wayne G. That means that in 2023 alone, DeMarco has released more songs than exist in the entire Beatles canon.
DeMarco packs everything that has moved fans over the years into One Wayne G. The album includes 19 titled and completed tracks, as well as 180 deep cuts from various recording sessions (titled only by date in this format: 20190724). The package unfolds in chronological order, from earliest recordings to most recent. Fans who listen to the entirety of One Wayne G are rewarded with a unique view into the mind of the artist. Many tracks from the winter of 2019 feature dreary synths and distorted industrial sounds. But as the weather thaws and spring turns to summer, listeners will feel the upbeat, sunshine-induced major chords of July.
As the album progresses through the years, DeMarco tries out new sounds like distorted synths, harmonica-playing, and scatting. Watching Demarco’s musical mood change with the seasons and years, it’s not hard to imagine that we’re seeing the artist’s psychological and emotional progression during that long stretch when so many of his fans wondered where he’d gone.
It is a rich and rewarding experience to pan through One Wayne G in search of gold. But a nine-hour investment is not required to find treasure. To kickstart the experience, try listening to these tracks (listed either by title or date):
For those looking for general album highlights: She Want The Sandwich; Turn My TV On; 201203: 201616; 20220204; 20220508; The Truth; 20221103
For fans of Freaking Out the Neighborhood or those looking for something upbeat: 20180816; 20190722; 20190724; 20200317; Proud True Toyota; 20201126 2; 20210813; 20210815; Ball For The Coach
For fans of “Preoccupied,” or sleepy listeners needing a lullaby: 20201111; 20201127; 20201230; Inside The Beavers Dam; Goodnight Baby; Stratocaster; Father of the Year; 20230102
For fans of “Heart To Heart” and starry-eyed lovers : 20180512; 20190726; 20190813 2; 20190813 3; I Like Her; No Doubt About It; You Made the Bed; 20200330
For fans of “Chamber on the Reflection” and those looking for cinematic sorrow: 20190730; 20200922; 20210720; father of the year; fooled by love; 20221103; 20221119
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