From the first seconds of “My Old Man,” the opening track on Mac DeMarco’s fifth release (and third full-length album) This Old Dog, it’s obvious that the record’s going to take steps in new directions. It starts off with synth bloops that sound right out of Kraftwerk’s Die Mensch Maschine, much less spacey than the ones on “Chamber of Reflection,” and a drum machine, something previously unused in his music.
That drum machine is a jarring addition, but not entirely unexpected. It was only a matter of time, really - Mac’s music has always had a great deal of bedroom pop sensibilities (he has literally written and recorded most of his music from the comfort of his living spaces). Rock and Roll Night Club, his intentionally sketchy, often overlooked first release, was distinguished by scratchy tape loops and Elvis impersonations. It sounded a lot like Mac flipping through a dusty under-the-bed crate of 70’s soft rock and soul records. 2 and Salad Days veered more towards the jangly slacker-rock vibe he’s become known for, with less murky jukebox pastiches and more sunny pop beach songs. They were still, however, marked by their homespun, tapedeck quality. This Old Dog, sounds like both a continuation and a progression of that sound. The same DIY-ness is there, no doubt, but here he’s incorporating more into it. There’s harmonicas, drum machines, and slightly crisper production. Fitting with the opening track and the overarching theme of maturity found on most of the tracks, there’s more of a dad-rock vibe - by that, I mean jazzy Steely Dan soft rock dad-rock, not hair metal dad rock, don’t worry.
Expanding on themes heard in previous tracks of his, like the worrisome self-scrutiny of “Passing Out Pieces” and “Salad Days,” This Old Dog features lots of sincere talk of concern with the future. This has always been a sharp contrast to his on-stage concert persona, that of a wild anarchist given to taken off his clothes and dancing with all inhibitions thrown out the window. It solidifies the “unpretentious goofball with a heart of gold” image he’s attained.
Just like 2015’s mini-LP Another One, these tracks are more outwardly sad, as opposed to the upbeat instrumentals concealing the melancholy nature of the lyrics heard on the albums before it. “Sister,” in the middle of the album, is as gloomy as Mac’s ever been - clocking in at just over a minute long, it catches the listener off guard. “Turns out not every dog has his day / So sad, so suddenly gone away.”
“Baby You’re Out” immediately follows the pensiveness and subdued mood of “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog,” and man, is it fun. Full of woodblocks and hooks akin to an 8-bit Nintendo soundtrack, it lightens the mood nicely. It’s good to hear Mac incorporating more and more wild unusual sounds and effects in his music; this is a great showcase for that.
“For the First Time,” the best track on the album, is, in the classic Mac tradition, a dreamy mid-tempo exercise in reverb and lush atmosphere. The same can be said for “On the Level,” another strong cut hidden deep into the second side.
Overall, it’s a great album, one that leaves fans curious as to where he’ll go next. He’ll likely to release a compilation of demos from these sessions, as he’s done for past releases. So, look out for something that’ll probably be called something along the lines of These Old Demos.
