This Old Dog

Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog
Critic Score
Based on 38 reviews
2017 Ratings: #209 / 940
User Score
2017 Rank: #132
Liked by 301 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Exclaim!
With a fresh approach and a renewed outlook on life, DeMarco reaches a whole other level of cool, lush calm as well as an unprecedented degree of maturity and introspection.
90
Clash
For all the substance and appeal of his previous work, nothing quite stacks up to what DeMarco has generated here, on what is an album that demonstrates just how far his ambitions lie beyond simply churning out effervescent pop numbers. Intimate and endearingly honest, ‘This Old Dog’ is Mac DeMarco’s most essential chapter of slacker gospel yet.
90
Spill Magazine
Despite the maturity of his lyrics, he hasn’t lost his ability to write a good old-fashioned pop song.
85
The 405

This Old Dog represents the clearest expression of DeMarco’s “darker” side. Unimpeded by groovy electric guitar riffs or lithe bass parts, most of the songs here play out with little more than an acoustic guitar and a drum machine. It is like DeMarco got out of his own way, eager for his voice to be heard.

84
Paste

Without the typically busy electric guitar runs, This Old Dog uncovers much more of DeMarco’s enlightening lyricism, laying bare his emotive underbelly with opuses drenched in California malaise and millennial indifference.

83
Pretty Much Amazing

It’s on This Old Dog where DeMarco really hits his stride as one of music’s most heartfelt and self-aware auteurs.

80
The Guardian

This melancholic approach – serious themes, stoned demeanour – seems a smart way to reposition himself.

80
The Observer

The LA-based singer-songwriter steps away from his Beavis and Butthead onstage persona to make a thoughtful, tender and musically tight third album.

80
Drowned in Sound

This Old Dog is the sound of an artist on top of his game. An artist shedding every inch of wackiness from his bone and sounding all the better for it.

80
Dork
With ‘This Old Dog’, Mac has chosen to refine the formula that made his first two full-length releases so good, rather than to make a bold stride in a new direction. It might get stale in a few albums time, but right now? It works like a charm.
80
Record Collector

This Old Dog plays soft and sweet; but its rheumy eyes betray the pain.

80
Evening Standard
The 27-year-old moved to LA to pen his third album and you can hear the city’s influence in this selection of unhurried, sun-dappled songs.
80
XS Noize
“This Old Dog” is Mac De Marco's strongest release yet,It shows a true maturation from his last release and shows a huge step up in terms of songwriting and production, cementing his position as the worlds favourite slacker indie rocker.
80
musicOMH

It’s a mature, expertly crafted and thought provoking album, one that asks interesting questions about family and romantic relationships through distinctive, melodic and accessible songs.

80
PopMatters

DeMarco’s latest has a rich emotional life that will reveal itself over time. This Old Dog indeed has some new tricks in it.

80
AllMusic

This Old Dog is a logical continuation of DeMarco's musical explorations, but the maturation of his songwriting is what gives it gravitas.

80
DIY

‘This Old Dog’ still has whispers of Mac DeMarco’s usual chirpy guitar licks and strutting rhythms - but beyond that, it goes deeper and sees our protagonist at his most mellow and introspective.

80
NME
It’s clear by now that DeMarco can conquer two different forms. He can be the good-time, goofy guy with a reputation that precedes him, or he can be an earnest songwriter with serious bite. ‘This Old Dog’ sees him conquering this more mature side, without even a shade of boring.
79
Pitchfork

On his third album, the antics of Mac DeMarco are muted in favor of his impeccable songwriting, which shines through more than ever with warmth and precision.

79
GIGsoup

His music might be maturing, but scratch beneath the surface and Mac DeMarco is still the adorable young scamp we fell in love with.

77
Northern Transmissions

It’s hard to see how This Old Dog will be received and remembered in DeMarco’s discography, as it lacks the early energy of 2 or the immediate accessibility of Salad Days. What it does offer, however, is the most self-reflective version of DeMarco to date.

75
Consequence of Sound
With more daring songwriting and cleaner studio sound, Mac DeMarco has created the most polished version of his signature sound we have heard to date.
75
Under the Radar

With This Old Dog, his distinctly DeMarco brand of baroque-infused folk is still built for the pauses in life but it feels a little steadier, and a little more self-aware.

75
The Line of Best Fit

Changes in timbre aside, those expecting a progression or departure in sound from the last two Mac releases will find them subtle, if present at all. But frankly, as with its sensitive and charismatic creator, it’s hard not to like This Old Dog from the start.

70
God Is in the TV

The relentless optimism of Salad Days has shifted, and what we have on This Old Dog is a more complex exploration of life, with all its vicissitudes and changes. We all grow up, even this optimistic oddball.

70
Crack Magazine

As a songwriter, he’s ahead of many of his peers, and This Old Dog is his best record yet.

70
The Needle Drop

Mac DeMarco matures as a songwriter on This Old Dog, his best album since 2.

70
FLOOD Magazine
On his third full-length, DeMarco pits the innately good-natured, easy-going tone of his music against a hint of sorrow in his lyrics.
70
Loud and Quiet

For most of ‘This Old Dog’, Mac brings the mood all the way down to beanbag listening. It’s not his unplugged album, but it’s pretty close, where his pitchy electric guitar has become a warm acoustic one.

67
A.V. Club

On this very earnest effort, his easygoing nature may have gotten the better of him: He’s made a laid-back album that is probably best listening to lying down, halfway into a nap.

60
Rolling Stone

DeMarco's weed-y lazy-day croon can be a little too tongue-in-cheek. He's best when he's more earnest, both lyrically and melodically, as on "My Old Man," a sweet shoulder shrug toward the harsh reality of turning into your dad.

60
The Skinny

The tunes here are wistful and sobering, indicative of a man at odds with the boyish persona that has followed him to fame.

60
Slant Magazine

In shifting away from his lush psychedelia-tinged arrangements in favor of slowly strummed acoustic guitar and gentle, glistening synths, the singer goes smaller and more intimate with his sound, an approach which yields both poignant and melodramatic results.

50
Tiny Mix Tapes

Despite having moments that tip it toward being his most “challenging” album lyrically (if being challenging has anything to do with being serious), This Old Dog might be his least interesting instrumentally and musically.

Dax_Wilder
87

Big thanks once again to my friend @ThePurpleIdiot for recommending me this and listening to it with me, I really loved this.

Ive loved Mac Demarco's sound a lot since I checked out Salad Days in full. His voice, the production, the sound, is just so carefree and vibey in the best way possible and I return to his music very often. On This Old Dog, I feel Mac takes all of the elements of his sound, mixes it with a more personal touch and creates what I think is his strongest LP so far. The ... read more

Sammyvl
97

This Old Dog, also known as DeMarco's most underrated project and my favorite album of his, turned out to be the record I decided to review today. I don't have any special reason for it, I just love it, which should be enough for me to write some of my thoughts concerning the music of this very special LP.

Mac DeMarco is probably one of the most influential artists of the last ten years, he basically popularized a whole new style, starting a wave that has been complemented by artists such as ... read more

AntonioF789
76

(⭐️): 4/13
🟩: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 13
🟨: 0
🟥: 0

83🟩⭐️ For The First Time
81🟩⭐️ This Old Dog
81🟩⭐️ On The Level
80🟩⭐️One More Love Song
79🟩 Dreams From Yesterday
77🟩 My Old Man
75🟩 Watching Him Fade Away
73🟩 Baby You're Out
73🟩 A Wolf Who Wears Sheep's Clothes
72🟩 One Another
72🟩Still Beating
72🟩 Sister
70🟩 Moonlight On The River

Nota: 76🟩

MerryHaddock961
100

I can’t begin to put into words how this album makes me feel. Mac is a chill dude who somehow made one of the most beautiful and bittersweet albums I’ve ever heard. With a newfound level of maturity and emotional depth these songs just hit differently than his previous albums, especially since they are much softer than his previous works. This is definitely a must hear masterpiece.

Favorite tracks: my old man, this old dog, baby you’re out, for the first time, one another, ... read more

95

i never really got too far into mac demarco before this, outside of the offhand listen of a song from 2 or salad days. then i heard moonlight on the river. this album hurts in the same way it hurts to watch the clown of the friendgroup get their heart broken, plus a stellar 4-song run to end the album. easily at the top of the bedroom indie food chain.

fav tracks: For the First Time, On the Level, Moonlight on the River

REC
86

Edit: 84 -> 86
It grew on me

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Added on: January 31, 2017