Mac DeMarco has finished recording his next album, according to a video posted on the Canadian singer songwriter’s Instagram.
The update came last night on December 27th, and follows a number of studio photos, featuring De Marco in various contrived poses, posted on the account. DeMarco wrote, ‘#that’s a #wrap. Just finished #Mixin the new #disc. Time for some #champers.’ In the background, a track from the record can be heard, to judge by this limited sample the new work seems to be fairly typical DeMarco fare. Given the fact that DeMarco’s last output was a mini album in the form of 2015’s Another One and the ambiguous use of the word ‘disc’, it very much remains to be seen whether this will be a full length release from the Canadian. In an interview with Spin earlier in the year, DeMarco used the word ‘record’ to describe the work, denying rumours he was collaborating with neighbour, Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, instead confirming he was making ‘just my own record.’ However, at that time he didn’t even sound fully confident this day would come, saying nonchalantly, ‘I haven’t finished it, not sure if I will, but I’ll put it on the shelf for now.’ His last full length effort, the acclaimed ‘Salad Days’ was released in 2014.
We don’t yet know the name of this latest ‘disc’ and have no official release date, although with a completed recording, it should presumably be reasonably soon. Adding fuel to this speculation is the fact that DeMarco has already signed on to play various festivals next year; he will be on the bill for three festivals in America, another three in Europe, including Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, and two nights at the O2 Brixton Academy in London. Presumably he would love to have a new record to liven up his setlist for these Spring and Summer gigs.
DeMarco’s latest work was a pair of covers, for which he partnered with keyboardist Jon Lent. The pair recorded their own versions of James Taylor’s ‘I Was a Fool to Care,’ and Prince’s ‘It’s Gonna Be Lonely.’ According to Spin DeMarco paid tribute to Prince’s influence on his career at a gig in Brooklyn’s Webster Hall, telling the crowd, ‘We just started touring, but the person who made me want to do this in the first place is Prince.’ He also opened up to Spin about his inspirations when writing new music, revealing, When I write new songs, now, I think, “What was I thinking about when I wrote that other song I liked?” And I can never figure it out. And I could never figure out where it comes from. Not that they’re incredible songs or anything, but I think it’s kinda that situation where they sort of float by, and you just gotta pull them out of the air at the right time. A lot of the time, it doesn’t work, but there are some times when they are just floating by. So there you go. They just pop up, and end up being about my life, or my friends, or my experiences, because that’s what I know. And it’s weird because you always have these experiences, and only certain times are you able to manifest these thoughts into a piece of something. So, I don’t understand it. But that’s the beauty of it, though.’ It remains to be seen what influence these techniques will have on the final record.
DeMarco, an avid fan of Star Wars, also offered his own tribute to actress Carrie Fisher in the post, adding ‘RIP Carrie, I’ll never forget ya, god bless,’ to the end of his caption. The actress, most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in Star Wars, died on the 27th December.
A full list of Mac DeMarco’s confirmed 2017 dates can be found below:
2-5/3 – Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival 2017 – Okeechobee, FL
22-26/3 – Treefort Music Festival – Boise, ID
19-21/5 – Hangout Music Festival – Gulf Shores, AL
30/5 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
31/5 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
31/5-4/6 – Primavera Sound Festival – Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona
8-12/8 – Øya Festival 2017 – Tøyenparken, Oslo
18-20/8 – Lowlands Festival 2017 – Walibi Holland, Biddinghuizen
