2 (Mac DeMarco album)

2 is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian musician Mac DeMarco. It was recorded in June 2012, and released in October 2012 on the Captured Tracks label.

2
Studio album by Mac DeMarco
Released	October 16, 2012
Recorded	June 2012
Length	31:27
Label	Captured Tracks
Mac DeMarco chronology
Rock and Roll Night Club (2012) 2 (2012) Salad Days (2014)

Background

DeMarco moved from Vancouver to Montreal in 2011. There, he recorded an EP under his own name, Rock and Roll Nightclub. Featuring slowed-down vocals and elements of glam rock, this recording garnered enough attention that his label, Captured Tracks, agreed to finance a full-length album.[1] DeMarco shifted his style from Rock and Roll Nightclub to 2, and his glam and crooning singing style were dropped for a more standard approach to guitar rock.[2] The album was composed and recorded in DeMarco's Montreal apartment, in the Mile End neighbourhood. DeMarco made the recording wearing only his "skivvies", or underwear.[3] In a June 2012 interview, DeMarco announced that about 75% of the album had been completed.[4]

Music

The album contains a single acoustic track, "Still Together", which is a re-recording of "Together", written by DeMarco on 2009 to Makeout Videotape EP "Bossa Yeye", also features DeMarco using falsetto singing in the chorus.[5] The opener, "Cooking Up Something Good", uses a song structure where a catchy verse transitions to a "blindsiding" darker chorus.[6] "Robson Girl" also juxtaposes a "sweet" verse with a guitar-shredding chorus.[7]

Lyrically, DeMarco covers growing up in suburbia, failed love and family secrets, the last featuring heavily in "Cooking Up Something Good".[6] "Ode to Viceroy" is a tribute to the singer's favourite brand of cigarettes.[5] DeMarco is apologizing to his mother in "Freaking Out the Neighbourhood", and trying to convince a girl to leave town with him in "The Stars Keep on Calling My Name".[7]

Artwork

In September 2014, DeMarco stated in a "What's in My Bag?" interview video at Amoeba Records in San Francisco, California that he had been inspired by the album art for Haruomi Hosono's Hosono House for the design of 2’s album cover.[8] In the same interview, DeMarco also points out his cover’s striking but coincidental similarity to Bruce Springsteen's The River.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.4/10[9]
Metacritic	81/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Austin Chronicle	[12]
Consequence of Sound	[2]
The Guardian	[13]
Exclaim!	8/10[14]
MusicOMH	[15]
NME	8/10[7]
Pitchfork	8.2/10[6]
Time Out	[16]
Uncut	8/10[17]

The album was compared by several reviewers to Real Estate's 2011 release, Days.[2] NME called DeMarco a "skilled songwriter" and likened him to fictional character Ferris Bueller.[7] DeMarco's guitar work was praised by several reviewers.[5] The Guardian remarked that, although the initial tracks have promise, the album "never quite delivers" and criticised its "unvarying" tone.[13] Pitchfork gave an enthusiastic review, awarding the record its "Best New Music" designation. Reviewer Sam Hockley-Smith commented positively on DeMarco's songwriting and lyrical depth.[6] The website placed the album at 43rd on their "50 Best Albums of the Year" retrospective.[18]

The album was named a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize on June 13, 2013.[19]

The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far, a list published by Pitchfork in August 2014.[20] In 2019, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 149 on their list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s".[21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mac DeMarco.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cooking Up Something Good"	2:41
2.	"Dreaming"	2:27
3.	"Freaking Out the Neighborhood"	2:53
4.	"Annie"	3:10
5.	"Ode to Viceroy"	3:53
6.	"Robson Girl"	2:56
7.	"The Stars Keep On Calling My Name"	2:22
8.	"My Kind of Woman"	3:10
9.	"Boe Zaah"	1:41
10.	"Sherrill"	2:29
11.	"Still Together"	3:39
Total length:		31:27

Charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22]	26

References

1. Traynor, Cian. "Interview: Mac DeMarco". The Stool Pigeon. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
2. Arroyo, Steven (October 30, 2012). "Album Review: Mac DeMarco – 2". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
3. Leijon, Eric (December 12, 2012). "Mac DeMarco keeps his music clean and his apartment dirty". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
4. Skinner, Tesse (June 11, 2012). "Mac DeMarco". Toro. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
5. Whelan, Alex. "Mac DeMarco's new record shines with its Montreal roots". Arizona Daily Wildcat. University of Arizona. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
6. Hockley-Smith, Sam (October 31, 2012). "Mac DeMarco: 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
7. Pattison, Louis (October 15, 2012). "Mac Demarco – '2'". NME. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
8. "Mac DeMarco - What's In My Bag?". YouTube. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
9. "2 by Mac DeMarco reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
10. "Reviews for 2 by Mac DeMarco". Metacritic. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
11. Thomas, Fred. "2 – Mac DeMarco". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
12. Winkie, Luke (March 15, 2013). "Mac DeMarco: 2 (Captured Tracks)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
13. Hann, Michael (October 18, 2012). "Mac DeMarco: 2 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
14. Lindsay, Cam (October 17, 2012). "Mac DeMarco: 2". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
15. Young, Martyn (October 22, 2012). "Mac DeMarco – 2". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
16. Frankel, Eddy. "Mac DeMarco – '2' album review". Time Out. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
17. "Mac DeMarco: 2". Uncut (187): 69. December 2012.
18. "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Pitchfork. December 20, 2012. p. 1. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
19. "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List" Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine. Exclaim!, June 13, 2012.
20. "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)". Pitchfork. August 19, 2014. p. 2. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
21. "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
22. "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2014.