After his 2015 mini-LP, Another One, Canadian slacker-rock mainstay Mac Demarco had some reinventing to do. His 2014 hit Salad Days served as Demarco’s thesis statement, an album that had perfectly captured his themes of debauchery and heartbreak. Another One began to strip away these themes in favor of a more relaxed approach, but it was unclear if this style would transfer over to his next major album.
On This Old Dog, Demarco loses the fast electric guitars, ups the synthesizers and starts to show signs of growing up.
With the album’s opener, “My Old Man,” the same Mac Demarco known for going crazy at concerts and giving out his home address in songs starts to realize those days are catching up to him (“there’s a price tag hanging off having all this fun”). “This Old Dog,” one of the album’s standout tracks, has the rocker using the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” saying to describe the unending love for his girlfriend. The switch from primarily electric to acoustic guitars provide a laid-back, nostalgic atmosphere that manages to fit Demarco’s slight change in direction perfectly.
It’s no surprise that synthesizers play a large part in This Old Dog. The surprising part is how well they’re put to use. In the days of artists that irresponsibly use synths that seem to never fit (I’m looking at you Currents by Tame Impala), songs like “For the First Time” and “On the Level” both use textured, instantly catchy synths.
“One More Love Song” doesn’t quite provide exactly what the title says. The smooth, subdued guitars are there, but Demarco’s signature off-kilter crooning focused on the feeling of leaving a relationship. “Moonlight on the River” follows suit in terms of instrumentation with lyrics explaining his troubled relationship with his father (“I’d say, see you later, if I thought I’d see you later, and I’d tell you that I love you if I did”) but slowly devolves into complete chaos toward the end of the seven-minute song.
While This Old Dog doesn’t reinvent the wheel for Mac Demarco, anyone who was put off by his previous records may take interest in this album’s subtlety and lyrical change in tone. But those craving songs about his wild adventures will be taken aback by the mildly-serious subject matter.
7.6/10
