Lovers of immaculate vibes, rejoice: everyone’s favorite slack rocker—or “jizz jazzer,” as he prefers—has returned. After 2023’s road-tripping instrumental Five Easy Hot Dogs, Mac DeMarco returns with Guitar. The Canadian singer-songwriter builds on that record’s tender touch, this time adding some heart-aching lyrics. Written and recorded in Nov. 2024 at his Los Angeles home, the resulting 12-track set feels sweet but slight. It’s some of DeMarco’s most direct songwriting to date, though not without its pitfalls.
Things kick off with “Shining,” a charming opener where DeMarco reaches into his upper register to lament the complications of the heart. Stripped down to acoustic guitar, bass, and sleepy drums, the track’s rawness works in his favor. Emotional, groovy, and soaked in that signature wooziness—it’s a fine start.
Then comes “Sweeter,” and déjà vu sets in. Instrumentally, it’s nearly identical to “Shining,” just a hair quicker in tempo. The musical theme is just as familiar, with DeMarco singing about relationship struggles. And in under three minutes, it’s gone. It’s not ot a bad track by any means, but we just heard a stronger version mere seconds earlier.
Next up is “Phantom,” which could easily be mistaken for “Sweeter,” just with an extra verse snuck in. The songs blur together, nearly indistinguishable. This pattern continues for another track until Mac’s familiar wonky electric guitar cuts through on “Terror,” where he muses on life and death. It’s a modest shakeup, but a welcome one. The tracks aren’t half-baked—just too similar. And if variety is the spice of life, Guitar is starting to taste like over-boiled veg.
In a rare twist, it’s the latter half of the album that delivers more impact. Lead single “Home” has real staying power. A bittersweet reflection on travel, lost friendships, and self-discovery, it captures the album’s fragile spirit perfectly and may be the clearest expression of what Mac is aiming for. The plodding “Knocking” strums beautifully stoned-out, seemingly made for a lazy day in the sun. Meanwhile, the following single, “Holy,” easily claims the title of album highlight.
Hypnotic, slinky, and carried by a seductive groove, Guitar delivers a rare shot of fun after the world-weary tone of earlier tracks. There’s even a touch of ’70s psychedelia that pushes it into surprise earworm territory. Just as the record finds its stride, it ends abruptly with the delightfully trippy closer, “Rooster.”
Guitar is one of those strange releases. There’s nothing explicitly wrong with the record, , but there’s not much to shout about either. Mac himself has said, “I think Guitar is as close to a true representation of where I’m at in my life today as I can manage to put to paper.” And yes, it’s emotionally open, reflective, and arguably more mature than past efforts. Still, it’s hard to shake the sense that this could’ve been a lean, focused EP built from the four strongest tracks. Mac is no stranger to dropping compact blasts of pure vibes, and he has done it far more compellingly than what’s on offer here.