Mac DeMarco: Another One
Is Mac DeMarco just fucking with us? For the past three years, the 25-year-old Canuck has churned out classicist pop-rock in the vein of vintage McCartney and Kinks—but he promotes himself like a stoned class clown, suggesting a tongue planted firmly in cheek. With Another One, his mini-LP of “love songs,” DeMarco continues to delight in his own baffling way: The woozy “The Way You’d Love Her” and glistening title track magnify his gifts as a pop melodist, emphasizing the warmth of his voice. Equally charming are the nimble instrumental flourishes— like the jazzy, Steely Dan-styled guitar solo on “Just to Put Me Down”—that decorate his home-recorded tracks. Yes, it’s hard to tell if the dude’s emotions are genuine: “Come on, give this lover boy a try/ I’ll put the sparkle right back in your eyes,” he croons on “No Other Heart.” (You can practically see his trademark gap-toothed smirk.) But that ambiguity is an essential part of DeMarco’s charm.