Mac DeMarco is back in a more curious and endearing way than ever. He released his forth studio album today (May 10) Here Comes The Cowboys, giving us an even deeper, yet more confusing understanding of his mind. Here Comes The Cowboys follows DeMarco's 2017 album This Old Dog, and though it does at times show that it was recorded quickly (in only two weeks), it's a beautiful piece from top to bottom.
DeMarco admits to naming the album because "he liked using the word “cowboy” as a nickname or term of endearment." And described his latest LP as:
“Kind of cartoonish...It’s somebody’s interpretation of the [cowboy] character that doesn’t have any first-hand experience or understanding of it.”
But it isn't a joke he later explains in his interview with Rolling Stone:
“The last one was very literally like, ‘Hey, everybody, I have daddy issues,'” he says. “This one feels even more emotional to me. Like I’m pumping my lungs out.”
Here Comes The Cowboys is a Mac DeMarco album through and through, it takes us through his lonesome and somber experiences while giving us the goofy tracks we equally cherish. The Wild-West theme is quite prevalent across the album, expanding farther than just the title track.
After the title track kicks off the album, DeMarco dives into one of the lead singles "Nobody" a melancholy song that seemingly details his inability to grasp at any identity and constant struggles with the idea of alienation. "Finally Alone" follows and continues with his soul-searching drawl as he twirls us away with his high vocal acoustics.
A few songs later, we get "Cho Cho," the silly, rebellious energy that is needed thus far in the album. Its funk riff makes for an interesting listen but it's use of actual train whistle reminds us of our love for Demarco's creativity.
"Heart to Heart" follows closely, being the first of two songs on the album that were inspired by the late Mac Miller. The two were close friends, as DeMarco even recently described their relationship to NME: “We had this strange history, and then we became really close, and I was going over to his place multiple times a week, up until the point that he passed away.” It's a beautiful track but a hard listen, especially for the fans of the late rapper.
The western imagery of the album chimes back as "Hey Cowgirl" intro's into the final four tracks. The other two lead singles "On The Square" and "All Of Our Yesterdays" play and take us through the despair of loosing time and feeling that everything is coming to an end, that was felt in the early tracks of the album.
Next, "Skyless Moon" was the second track dedicated to the late Mac Miller. DeMarco recounted how he played the song during one of the final times they hung out together: “We just listened to it in silence, and he just looked at me after, and he was like ‘Yes! Yes!’. I probably wouldn’t have [put the song] on the album otherwise.
The final track "Baby Bye Bye" opens with DeMarco's high soulful vocals as he sings goodbye to us before ending with a hidden track titled “The Cattleman’s Prayer”, which probably becomes the most reinvented form of funk music we have seen from Demarco yet.
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Mac DeMarco is currently on an extensive tour across North America which includes a stop in Portland, Oregon tonight (May 10). After his run across North America, Demarco will be heading to Europe for a short trek, until he wraps on November 19th in Amsterdam. For all ticketing and tour date info head make sure to his website.
