Mac DeMarco took the stage at the Empty Bottle in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village Wednesday night, just one short day after the release of his highly anticipated album “Salad Days.” DeMarco, along with his band, covered songs off of his new album as well as a handful of songs from his sophomore album “2” before a packed venue and sold-out show.
The quirky 23-year-old Edmonton native played two back-to-back, sold-out shows Wednesday night. During Juan Waters, the opening act of the 6:30 show, DeMarco was seen casually hanging out in the crowd and talking to people who came out to see him. His response to any praise from a fan was typically a genuine “God Bless.”
The new album, which he single handedly wrote and recorded last November, is DeMarco’s third. Indicative of more mature vibes, “Salad Days” includes many songs that are reminiscent of love songs. Groovy guitar sounds and catchy lyrics make up a good chunk of this album. His song “Brother” has already gotten praise and was recently named “Best New Track” by Pitchfork. In an interview with the Australian music blog Tone Deaf DeMarco went into detail about the circumstances surrounding him when he recorded this album. “I was on tour a lot before I wrote ‘Salad Days.’ Right after I finished recording, we went back on tour, so I think ‘Salad Days’ is indicative of me just being burnt out from the touring.”
Before every song he performed, DeMarco said a quick and somewhat choppy sentence about what initially inspired the song. “My girlfriend and I moved to New York by accident this summer, and this song is about that and how she’s not allowed to live here.” DeMarco announced to the crowd before he played his sweet ballad titled “Let My Baby Stay.”
Most obvious during the 13- song set was all of the guys on stage really enjoyed what they were doing. They danced around during each of the songs, made fun of each other on stage, and if there was a lull in the audience between songs, DeMarco or his bassist, Pierce McGarry, would crack jokes or take questions from the audience to interact with the crowd. It sure made for an entertaining evening. At the end of their 13-song set, DeMarco stuck around to meet the people who came out to see him and he even started handing out CDs at the end of the 9 p.m. show.
With his unmistakable gap toothed smile, catchy songs that make you want to be at the beach, and rising popularity, Mac DeMarco is definitely an artist to watch in 2014.