The more the merrier — unless you are a fan of well-fleshed-out musical projects.
Without warning, Mac DeMarco quietly released a 199-track album called “One Wayne G” on April 21. The album is an enlarged collection of lethargic, desolate and woozy lo-fi indie-rock tracks meant for studying, aimless driving or watching paint dry.
Most track names are titled based on their recording dates, ranging from 2018 through 2023. Scrolling through the tracklist, one might treat the never-ending blurring list of song names, like “20190826” or “20210722 2,” the same way that DeMarco probably treated them: as largely lifeless throwaway B-side tracks. His latest project seems to be named after the legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky, according to promotional social media posted by his record label.
The Canadian-born artist’s most recent LP is an undeniable creative lull inside an otherwise prolific indie-rock music career. Preceding “One Wayne G,” DeMarco gifted — or rather discarded to his ravenous fans — the album “Five Easy Hot Dogs,” another deliberately lo-fi and uncommercial instrumental project composed of songs he wrote while on a road trip with his friends. Reviews were lukewarm at best, with many fans praying that this was just a quirky detour from his otherwise catchy and hook-filled brand of indie-rock. DeMarco will perform “Five Easy Hot Dogs” in its entirety at select venues as part of his mini-world tour this summer.
To call this a detour from his regular creative output, though, would not be entirely faithful to DeMarco’s entire breadth as an artist. Throughout his decade-long public career, DeMarco has never subscribed to the scarcity of content philosophy for his fans. DeMarco has consistently released complementary demos and B-side projects in tandem with his formal album releases. To date, he has released seven of these B-side albums, not including this latest venture, and indie-rock’s goofy darling is not making any radical changes to his recording philosophy on “One Wayne G” either.
The lyric-driven songs found on “One Wayne G” support the album more effectively than the amalgamation of instrumental synth and guitar-picking jams. The few lyrics on this album are stream-of-consciousness and charmingly simple, like on the mild-tempered “20191012 Fooled By Love,” the lullaby “20210216 Goodnight Baby,” the peppy “20200817 Proud True Toyota” and the sugary “20191009 I Like Her.”
“No more early mornings / Waking up alone,” he sings dryly in the opening verse of “20191012 Fooled By Love.” “And though it feels like dying / Honey, I’ve been fooled by love, this way before.”
Other tracks, like “20200816 She Want The Sandwich,” sounds like an excavated yacht rock tune. A hazy guitar strum panned in the left ear, a minimalist drum track, a muffled-yet-punchy bass and a subdued whistle outro bolster the lyrics.
“She want the sandwich, baby/ Lettuce and tomato, baby/ With mayo on a roll, I’ll go anywhere she goes.”
The drab and apathetic soundscapes of “One Wayne G” do not make for an entirely unenjoyable listening experience. If you are craving psychedelic sing-alongs, then “Salad Days” (2014) is still available. Similarly, if you want catchy synth-pop songs, then “This Old Dog” (2017) still hits the sweet spot. If you want placid and unchallenging lo-fi indie rock jams, then “One Wayne G” awaits your listen.
Ultimately, while DeMarco’s latest venture proves largely forgettable, it is a notable footnote for one of indie rock’s undeniable trailblazers. Regardless of whether this will be seen as a pivotal moment or just an odd detour, “One Wayne G” does not try to be a grand artistic statement or a line in the sand for its listeners. Fans of DeMarco will appreciate the goofball’s unorthodox album rollout and sound, while critics will pan it — the rest of us can enjoy it in the background while we go about our days.
