The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TOMMY SOLO AND FRIENDS – PASSENGERS AND MESSENGERS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: FOUNDING BUTCHER BABIES VOCALIST CARLA HARVEY DEBUTS MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW EP TRACK “HELL OR HOLLYWOOD” FEATURING ZAKK WYLDE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XOL MEISSNER – EXCESS OF LOSS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – PHANTOM ISLAND
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YAWN – WISH I COULD’VE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NORMAN GREENBAUM – SPIRIT IN THE SKY
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: FERNANDO’S EYES – CENTER OF YOUR WORLD
SPILL NEWS: SOCCER MOMMY RELEASES ‘EVERGREEN (STRIPPED)’ EP | GLOBAL TOUR CONTINUES IN AUSTRALIA, ASIA & NORTH AMERICA
SPILL NEWS: BUSH ENTER “THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY” WITH NEW SINGLE AND MUSIC VIDEO RELEASE | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEWS: YUKON BLONDE ANNOUNCE FRIENDSHIP & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FALL TOUR | TICKETS ON SALE THIS WEEK
SPILL NEW MUSIC: PORTUGAL. THE MAN SURPRISE EP ‘ULU SELECTS VOL #2’ OUT NOW ON KNIK
SPILL NEWS: GEORGIA HARMER ANNOUNCES NEW LP ‘EYE OF THE STORM’ ON ARTS & CRAFTS | SHARES TITLE TRACK & CANADA-USA TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: INDUSTRIAL ROCK ACT 16VOLT’S 1993 DEBUT ‘WISDOM’ LP REISSUED VIA METROPOLIS RECORDS | BRAND NEW ALBUM OUT IN SUMMER 2025
SPILL NEWS: THE DANDY WARHOLS AND KULA SHAKER HIT THE ROAD TOGETHER THIS FALL
SPILL NEW MUSIC: MANTRA OF THE COSMOS TEAM UP WITH NOEL GALLAGHER FOR NEW SINGLE “DOMINO BONES (GETS DANGEROUS)”
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
1
584
Editor Pick
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DIANA KRALL - TURN UP THE QUIET
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PERFUME GENIUS - NO SHAPE

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MAC DEMARCO – THIS OLD DOG

Mac DeMarco

Mac DeMarco
This Old Dog
Captured Tracks

Nearly two years since his last release, Mac DeMarco returns with a collection of 13 songs, which may surprise some of his longtime fans. Known to many for his zany persona and onstage presence, This Old Dog, his latest release, seems more so that any album in his catalogue to contradict his often childish behavior.

From the opening track, “My Old Man”, you can hear that this is a going to be a different kind of record from Mr. DeMarco. His signature warbley, chorus-drenched guitar, which had dominated his previous releases is scarcely found on This Old Dog, and when it does make an appearance it’s generally mixed under the other instrumentation. Instead the “jizz jazz” king relies heavily on acoustic guitars, giving the vibe the songs were written around a campfire. While his previous sound was distinctive and charmingly quirky, it’s time for a change and This Old Dog is the perfect transition to a new musical direction.

The other half of the record sounds like it was composed for an unaired episode of Miami Vice. Tracks like “Dreams From Yesterday”, “For the First Time” and “On the Level” are soaked in cheesy-synthesizers, something Mac has flirted with in the past, but never exploited as much as he has here.

While Mac has shown signs of writing very mature lyrical pieces in the past, “Salad Days” comes to mind, the tracks on This Old Dog feature an underlying theme of adulthood and real maturity. In “My Old Man” he describes the feeling that many people can empathize with; realizing they’ve become more like their parents than they really ever wanted to be. However, in Mac’s case, he’s becoming more like his father, who he really never knew, and though he doesn’t want this to happen, he can’t stop the nature progression of aging. In the end, since he doesn’t really know his dad, he looks in the mirror and finds himself becoming unrecognizable. It’s perhaps the most profound song that he’s penned, yet incredibly simple.

His father, who became ill during the making of the album and also inspired the Lennon-esque ballad, “Watching Him Fading Away”. The lyrics are thoughtful and sensitive, yet each verse closes with a stinging remark about his father’s absence in his life: “The thought of him no longer being around/I’m sure it will be sad but not really different”.

Despite the maturity of his lyrics, he hasn’t lost his ability to write a good old-fashioned pop song. Tracks like “One Another” and “A Wolf Who Wears Sheeps Clothes” wouldn’t sound out of place on something like Rubber Soul. The latter, an infectious gem from the MacMaster, features one of his most beautiful vocal melodies and guitar lines.

Much to the disappointment of this fans, Mac has not enclosed his current address in the final moments of the LP, which he had done on 2015’s Another One. However, what they do have to look forward to is a remarkable singer-songwriter producing more incredible work.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Editor Pick
Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MAC DEMARCO – THIS OLD DOG

Author

Ryan Sagadore

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
9.2
9.0
Total Spill Rating
9.2
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewscaptured tracksmac demarcothis old dog
album reviews, captured tracks, mac demarco, this old dog
About the Author
Ryan Sagadore
As a child growing up in the suburbs, Ryan found music as a way to soothe his boredom. After first hearing AC/DC at the age of 10, he was hooked on music. Tracing its roots to the ‘50s, he became obsessed with Elvis, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. Somehow that led to grunge, then psych-rock, then jazz, etc. The list goes on and on and his collection of vinyl records continues to grow.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewscaptured tracksmac demarco
 
8.0
Tommy Solo

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TOMMY SOLO AND FRIENDS – PASSENGERS AND MESSENGERS

by Aaron Badgley on June 15, 2025
TOMMY SOLO AND FRIENDS PASSENGERS AND MESSENGERS INDEPENDENT Tommy Solo is back with a brand-new album. This time, he is playing with some friends, which is why Passengers And Messengers is actually credited to Tommy Solo And Friends. Passengers [...]
 
10
Queens Of The Stone Age

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS

by Gerrod Harris on June 13, 2025
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS MATADOR RECORDS Following an early series of screenings at select, independent cinemas across the world – including Toronto’s Royal Theatre – and the digital release of their concert film, Alive In [...]
 
8.0
Xol Meissner

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XOL MEISSNER – EXCESS OF LOSS

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 13, 2025
XOL MEISSNER EXCESS OF LOSS INDEPENDENT If you stick only to the face value of some information, it just might take you to a wrong track, and there is quite a bit of that here. First of all, Xol Meissner is an alias for a Swiss-born, NYC-based [...]
 
10
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – PHANTOM ISLAND

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 13, 2025
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD PHANTOM ISLAND P(DOOM) RECORDS So, where have the Australian mavericks gone so far in their explorations? From all things heavy to the outskirts of microtonal and spiritual jazz, while cramming as many albums [...]
 
9.0
Yawn
2.4

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YAWN – WISH I COULD’VE

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 13, 2025
YAWN WISH I COULD’VE KILLBEAT MUSIC If you think that crafting close to perfect pop music is easy, then you’ve got things all wrong. Pop has a set of formulas you have to respect, and being inventive and doing it right within those [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TOMMY SOLO AND FRIENDS – PASSENGERS AND M...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CA...
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: XOL MEISSNER – EXCESS OF LOSS
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD – P...
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YAWN – WISH I COULD’VE
9.0
2.4

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ACTORS AT LEE’S PALACE ON MAY 3!
522
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BRYAN FERRY & AMELIA BARRATT – LOOSE TALK
510
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MUMFORD & SONS – RUSHMERE
500
 
SPILL CONTEST: ENTER TO WIN A GWAR PRIZE PACK INCLUDING TICKETS TO SEE THEM LIVE AT HISTORY ON JUNE 9!
488
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD – LONGING
465
 
SPILL FEATURE: A NEW ERA OF CAR SEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH SETH DALBY, ETHAN IVES & ANDREW KATZ OF CAR SEAT HEADREST
440
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
410
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE
406
 
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
385
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE EBO TAYLOR AT THE CONCERT HALL ON APRIL 13!
349
 
SPILL FEATURE: IN THE MEANTIME – A CONVERSATION WITH JONNY CRAGG OF SPACEHOG
332
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN ONE OF TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS TO SEE OMD PERFORM LIVE AT HISTORY IN TORONTO ON JULY 4!
300
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN FOXX – WHEREVER YOU ARE
285
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES