Album Review: Mac DeMarco, Guitar

Mac DeMarco’s new album arrives at a weird time.

The Canadian was a defining alternative artist of the 2010s, who never really cemented himself in the mainstream.

But in 2025, his streaming figures are comparable to U2. One reason is TikTok, where Mac’s lo-fi sound has gone viral, though his last two projects – the instrumental Five Easy Hot Dogs and the 199-song One Wayne G – showed he wasn’t looking to genuflect before the algorithms.

Guitar is his most pared back record to date, exploring deep personal turmoil. The simple drum grooves, tight, rubbery bass and vibrato acoustic guitar tone are all present. He’s one of the few artists recognisable from the timbre of their instruments. The album doesn’t veer from this palette, though the occasional woozy lead is thrown in for added texture.

The sparse arrangements let introspection emerge. Guitar is dark, as the song titles attest: ‘Nothing At All’, ‘Terror’, ‘Nightmare’ etc. On ‘Punishment’, De Marco calls for someone to burn down his house and take everything, mulling whether or not he’s on the right path.

Even songs with more innocent titles, like ‘Rock And Roll’ and ‘Home’, focus on self-criticism and disillusionment as he confronts the past. The former sees Mac shred a mangled solo, while he laments having sold his soul. On ‘Knockin’, meanwhile, he suggests he doesn’t deserve his current freedoms.

According to a recent New Yorker feature, Mac is now sober, living a laidback life on a farmhouse on an island off the coast of British Columbia. He's also touring less relentlessly.

This is all while he is statistically more popular than ever, and his fans (many of whom were introduced through chopped-up, slowed-down clips for shortform video), seem to be getting younger. It’s a strange reality, especially for someone who can come off as introverted.

It's hard to say what exactly has the indie enigma feeling so haunted. Either way, Guitar is unmistakably Mac DeMarco.

• Out now.