Mac DeMarco: How to Grow Up Without Losing Yourself

Imagine this: a 100-year-old farmhouse, 80 olive trees all around, the sound of the ocean, and all kinds of wildlife—from orcas and humpback whales to eagles and otters. The New Yorker journalist Amanda Petrusich visited Mac DeMarco’s new home in British Columbia and spent three days there, observing the musician’s work and hobbies. “Sometimes I would place my recorder between the branches of trees so we could talk while he was working. Out there, DeMarco turned from an indie-rock prankster-icon into a gap-toothed hermit tinkerer in crumbling red Vans,” she writes about his everyday life.

It seems the musician has become a true jack of all trades. He spends his days woodworking, fixing cars or motorcycles, even repairing audio systems. Mac admits: “It’s much easier for me to stay busy now. I’ve got plenty of hobbies—sometimes I’m working on different things, sometimes I’m helping with other people’s music (note: in 2018 Mac founded his own label, Mac’s Record Label). And I’ve picked up a bunch of skills that have nothing to do with music.”

In some sense, the past few years have been DeMarco’s way of slowly dismantling the image of a cigarette-in-mouth troublemaker, the neighborhood menace persona that made him famous in the mid-2010s. On August 22, his new album Guitar was released—a perfect chance to look back at his career and trace his path into adulthood.

Mac DeMarco’s name has surely popped up in your favorite indie playlist, alongside artists who were inspired by his work and the aesthetics of bedroom pop: Clairo, Men I Trust, Steve Lacy, Dayglow, and others. Some might also recall his notorious onstage antics with drumsticks in questionable places. His life has been touched by depression, alcohol problems, and stage fright—nothing particularly shocking for a musician these days. But for nearly two decades, this guy and his “jizz jazz,” recorded in his own bedroom, have continued to captivate listeners who love to dream and brood in a beautiful way. What’s the secret to DeMarco’s lasting appeal?

In a world where AI writes songs and record labels push artists to make TikToks, Mac DeMarco feels like the living embodiment of the Chill Guy meme. His laid-back style, minimalist sound, and his inability—or refusal—to market himself by industry rules attract millions of listeners. Perhaps the whole point is that Mac isn’t playing a role. He’s unafraid of not fitting into the mold. Just remember One Wayne G (2023), a nine-hour, 199-demo-long album.

We also recommend watching the video on Kenny Beats’ channel, where the two freestyle together in a home studio. It’s fun to compare Kenny’s serious approach—trying to create something genuinely good—with Mac’s goofiness, singing about fusilli, ravioli, and gabagool through Auto-Tune.

And yet, there’s something different about the Mac DeMarco of Here Comes The Cowboy (2019) and the Mac of Guitar (2025). “I don’t think I’ve changed that much. But now I’m sober. I try to stay healthy, I’m interested in other things. I just got older. A lot of stuff I used to act like I didn’t care about (but secretly did), now I truly don’t care about. I’m searching for something else—and I think I’m getting closer to it,” the musician reflects.

The music on the new album sounds even simpler, his voice lighter, and the lyrics more contemplative and revealing. Here, Mac muses on love, purpose, people, names and memories knocking at the door, and the uncertainty of the future.

The visuals are also stripped down. In the past month, DeMarco has released two new videos for singles off the album.
The first, for Holy, shows Mac drifting on a boat, intercut with shots of various birds from the surrounding area.

The second, for Home, was filmed in a single take from a first-person perspective. Mac describes it: “I just walked around the lawn and ate an apple. Is that a music video? Maybe it’s a commentary on where music is today. I don’t know. It all seems silly. You don’t really need all that stuff. Too much showiness. Maybe I’m just not a flashy guy. People want to make elaborate, crazy videos that look like movies or something. I think that’s cool—it’s just not me.”

Guitar marks a new stage in Mac DeMarco’s transformation—more mature, more at peace, yet still unmistakably “Mac.” His journey proves that you can grow up and change while staying true to yourself. Give it a listen if you haven’t yet.