Canadian singer-songwriter Mac Demarco is not at all new to the world of funky tunes. Over the course of his six total albums, he has dabbled in the genres of Indie rock, Psychedelic rock, Jangle, and something called “Lo-fi music.” His latest album, released on May 10, consists of 13 songs, all containing interesting combinations of sounds that completely embody the country-themed title of the album with deep, low vocals and summertime beats.  

In tandem with the title of the album, the first track, “Here Comes the Cowboy,” is an intriguing lead into the rest of the songs. This takes a more in-depth look into another side of Demarco’s craft by exposing the more undone, upbeat side of him. The beginning felt a bit repetitive; however, as the song progressed, it became easier to listen to and sounded fresh to the ears.

The most enthralling song by far is “Nobody.” With its soothing beat, it depicts a scene of driving home along a dark, quiet road after a long, beautifully exhausting day. Along with this, it is an amazing showcase of his vocal skills. “Preoccupied” embodied this same kind of feeling, yet “Nobody” still remains the overall favorite.

It managed to bring me back to the days of “Another One” and “The Way You’d Love Her” from Demarco’s 2015 album Another One, which is yet another showcase of his ability to grow over the course of four years.

“On the Square” entices the tears out of your eyes and addresses the more serious questions with lyrics that ask, “Baby, are you satisfied?/Is this all that you had in mind?” as well as provoking brooding thoughts with “Live a life that isn’t there/Square it up/Call me once you’ve had enough,” which evokes a feeling of the weight of a wasted life in continuum with the track “All of Our Yesterdays.” Lyrics like “Another day has come and let you down/All of our yesterdays have gone now” only adds to this type of feeling.

At times, his albums can be hard to listen to without a break in between because the sound seems to mesh together into one, to be frank, boring mixture. This could be because many of the songs tend to be about the same thing; his specialty seems to be introspective lyrics and songs that make you reconsider your life.

Here Comes the Cowboy features more diversity, but it may not all be good. Demarco seems to be attempting to change his sound. Raspier vocals and deeper sounds are changing the way his music is viewed. This seems to be more of a revolution than an evolution, and it feels like a large departure from his persona.

Overall, though, the album emits a calming aura, similar to his previous albums. His 2014 release Salad Days,

which featured songs such as “Let My Baby Stay” and “Chamber of Reflection,” as well as his second most recent album This Old Dog

definitely do not feature as much typical “country” aspects. Some of the songs do seem to be leading in the direction of the feel of Here Comes the Cowboy, with tracks like “A Wolf Who Wears Sheep Clothes,” which features the harmonica, while “On the Level” sounds more like his earlier releases in 2014.

In general, Here Comes the Cowboy is an exploration of Demarco’s changing sounds as well as a new look into where his next album may take us.