"This one is my cowboy record. Cowboy is a term of endearment to me, I use it often when referring to people in my life. Where I grew up there are many people that sincerely wear cowboy hats and do cowboy activities. These aren’t the people I’m referring to."

Macky’s back, yall. Here Comes The Cowboy is the first release on Mac Demarco’s astutely-christened Mac’s Record Label imprint, stepping away from his longtime home at Captured Tracks. Still the same old Mac though, with 13 dusty, stripped-down rock and roll joints that find the Canadian slacker rocker settling into his role as the sheriff in this here town. He’s got this shit down to a science, and while his records are always unmistakably his, without sounding like anyone else (old or new), there’s still a certain air of familiarity that you can never quite put your finger on. That’s not to say he sounds uninspired… It seems like Mac’s love for Harry Hosono hasn’t wavered in the wake of the huge surge of renewed interest in the Japanese folk rock / synthpop hero's work; in fact, songs like “Skyless Moon,” “Preoccupied” and “Hey Cowgirl” suggest he’s jamming more Hosono than ever before. Elsewhere, in “On The Square,” there’s some rolling piano and playful synth licks that recall some of the more somber passages in Sgt Peppers. The whole album is super laidback, with occasional forays into funk (“Choo Choo”) and country western (“Bye Bye Baby”) sounds which are still mad chill by normal standards. “Heart To Heart” and “K” are also cool tracks. There’s no guests to speak of, with Mac handling 100% of the writing, production, mixing and engineering as well as singing and playing all the instruments. This is the indie exclusive pressing on mixed black & green colored vinyl, housed in special edition sleeve with alternate cover art and poster, limited to 8000 copies.

• mixed green+black colored vinyl
• indie exclusive
• gatefold sleeve w/ alternate reverse cover image
• includes 24"x12" insert
• limited edition of 8000
• also available: clear smoke variant
• music label: Mac's Record Label 2019

reviewed by Isosceles Kramer 05/2019