Music Review: Mac Demarco’s ‘Salad Days’

Illustration purchased from BigStock.com.

Kolja Westhues, Journalist

Mac Demarco is the king of the indie scene at the moment. His sound is incredibly unique and conveys a very chill vibe. His third album “Salad Days” is one of my favorite records of all time, but this is a controversial opinion since some critics disagree.

The opening track, “Salad Days,” starts off somewhat jarringly with a quick snare fill into the song on an off beat. Demarco sings about nostalgia and getting old, lamenting that the “salad days are gone.” I enjoy this song because of its carefree feel and somewhat joyful tune.

“Blue Boy” is also enjoyable to me because of the complex reverberated guitar riff throughout the song, that is a new sound for Mac. I also love the melancholy vocals.

The third track, “Brother,” features two layered guitar riffs that compliment each other nicely. The track also has wistful lyrics and vocals.

“Let Her Go” is one of my favorite tracks off the album because of its fast-paced and upbeat feel. The drum beat on this song is different from other songs because it is more hi-hat heavy and less repetitive, which I enjoy.

“Goodbye Weekend” is one of the less interesting tracks off the record. In my opinion, it is still a great song, but compared to the others, it is uninteresting.

My favorite track off the record, “Let My Baby Stay,” is an incredibly relaxing song. The song is led by an acoustic guitar riff that sounds somewhat echoed. There are no other instruments in this song besides a woodblock, which is used to add a more substantive sound to the track. The vocals are quiet, which adds to the overall serene vibe.

The seventh track, “Passing Out the Pieces,” starts with a cinematic synth lead that leads into a similar sound throughout the rest of the track.

“Treat Her Better” is about treating your partner better if you want to keep them around. It uses heavily reverberated guitar and repeats the variety of tunes throughout the track.

The single off the album, “Chamber Of Reflection,” is an amazing song. This track is about how Demarco felt while reflecting on his past for this album. The song is led by a reverberated, simple drum beat, and the melody is led by a gloomy, melancholic synth, which is the most recognizable part of the song.

The tenth track, “Go Easy,” is another one of the less interesting tracks. In my opinion, it sounds like every other song, with nothing to make it stand out.

The final track,“Jonny’s Odyssey,” is an instrumental closer. It conveys an otherworldly feel through a warped lead synth. The song ends with a closing statement from Mac: “Thank you for joining me, see you again soon, bye.”

Overall, I highly recommend “Salad Days” to everyone. My final rating is 4/5 stars.