Mac is back with a renewed sound and outlook on life, as he shares two songs of his next release, 

Ever since 2009, when Mac DeMarco broke out into the music scene by selling out his 500 copies of the self-produced album, Heat Wave, DeMarco has found a niche of lazy vibes and folk rock. The artist’s unique style built a fanbase that has set DeMarco to many major music festivals and international tours in the next coming months. And, after a sneaky instagram captioned in December, “Just finished #Mixin the new #disc, Time for some #champers,” DeMarco officially announced the release of his next album on January 31. Titled This Old Dog, the release date is set for May 5th– but two tracks off the album have been released with the announcement.

DeMarco’s goal of popping some “#champers” has been fully achieved. The first track, “My Old Man”, breaths a more mature vibe than many of Mac’s previous releases. DeMarco has always written his lyrics based on lofty thoughts and reflection. In one of his most popular lyrics from the track “Salad Days,” Demarco claims that he’s “acting like my life’s already over”, conveying a careless, youthful state of mind. “My Old Man” develops from Mac’s previous works by maturing much like we all have over the years, as he moves on from having to “act your age” from Salad Days to realizing that “there’s a price tag to having all that fun” in his new release. Musically, “My Old Man” uses mainly acoustic guitar and light percussion. These musical substances support the wiseness of the track, leading DeMarco down a simpler path. The next release is the title track of the upcoming album, “This Old Dog”. With its cliché title, DeMarco refers to himself as the old dog, portraying how his state of mind in this new album has grown to the point where he has full on old-man status and he can joke about his age. Like the previous, “This Old Dog” focuses on acoustic guitar, few light synths, and a steady baseline to depict DeMarco’s lazy atmosphere combined with his simpler and developed voice.

Mac’s growing up, and we’re all on board.

Listen to “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog” here:

is out via Captured Tracks on May 5th, 2017

Mac DeMarco announces This Old Dog, shares “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog”

Dr. Dog has never been a band short of content. Since the release of their first official album, 

 in 2002, Dr. Dog has produced a total of ten albums and four EPs. The group even quips about their quantity on their Facebook page, joking that they “put out more music than the Wolfman and Frankenstein combined.” It must be easy being a long-term Dr. Dog fan, especially when they released a new album on November 29th, unannounced, titled 

The band’s traditional sounds root in Dr. Dog’s affinity for easy-sounding acoustics and harmonies. Their songs have a long history of telling stories, questioning life, and appreciating what is good in the world. The indie rock group has been experimenting with more psychedelic sounds recently, 

, their previous album released in February 2016, shocked most of their listeners with a more techno vibe that seemed to substitute their pattern of reflective and emotive songs.

 brings Dr. Dog right back to its roots. As a band that produces as much as they do, listeners should expect some slumps. But, this release is the exact opposite. It seems that their previous psychedelic vibe was just a phase; the group returns to their colorful harmonies, folky vocals, and indie-rock acoustics that their fans know and love.

The album breaths an easier, more reflective vibe, which is immediately heard within the first two songs, “Casual Freefall” and “Ladada”. Not only are these tracks appropriately titled for the mood of 

, but they also contain a lofty air that Dr. Dog has been missing for quite some time. The album takes a turn for the romantic in all of us with “I Saw Her for the First Time”. The track features a string quartet and McMicken’s quirky, innocent voice declaring, “I didn’t know a man could fall so fast,” in a way that can only be described as adorable. A personal favorite on the album is the track “Could Have Happened to Me”. The song delves into the weighty theme of just how small and short human life is. They capture this theme beautifully through the thoughtful lyrics of “realizing I was only a drop in the rain,” combined with the imagery of daily life and a peppy background that only emphasizes life’s simplicity. The LP ends with the title track, a solid song with Leaman’s unique raspy voice harmonizing with the supporting vocals of the rest of the band to express themes of loneliness and reflections, staple concepts for Dr. Dog.

 is a breath of fresh air for both Dr. Dog and the indie rock genre. Its authenticity is undeniable; something that is hard to find these days. All proceeds of 

 downloads from now until the end of January will go to the 

, which is an American non-profit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation.

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=2563847626 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

Dr. Dog Releases Full-Length “Abandoned Mansion”

The Districts, an indie-rock band from Lititz, Pennsylvania, have been touring for most of the fall, recently taking a short break to record new music. Although most of their new content has not yet been released, the band still set on a series of live shows playing the old and new. This tour brought The Districts to the Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts, where a crowd eagerly awaited in the indie-rock basement club and bar, with the expectation of good music and casual vibes.

, an indie punk band from Philadelphia. By the end of the first song, the crowd was pretty hooked. Their long hair and angsty vibes fit the setting of the dimly lit basement stage of the Great Scott perfectly. The Tangiers did exactly what openers should do; they quickly got the crowd moving and intrigued for the rest of the show.

One thing that is great about Great Scott is that there is no backstage, so The Districts began setting up and playing almost immediately after Tangiers played their last song. They opened with “Fourth and Roebling,” a popular and catchy song that immediately sent a wave of energy through the crowd that you could literally feel through the shaky floor and conglomeration of lyric-yelling. They followed up with “Rocking Chair,” another popular track by the group which continued this unification of the crowd. After these songs, the band played some of their unreleased new songs. The band alleviated the lull in the crowd that naturally occurs when hearing new songs for the first time with jokes of irrational stage fears and playing fan-favorites off their albums, 

. One of the louder and more dramatic songs by The Districts, “Young Blood” from A 

 was the best of the set, filling the venue with increasingly loud guitar riffs and passionate lyrics. The set came to a close with “Funeral Beds,” an emotional track where lead singer Rob Grote’s vehement voice brought a quality show to a close.

The show had a unique crowd experience of feelings of community and casual vibes where everyone was there for the same reason: to listen to good music. Fans were committed and genuinely enjoyed an authentic set with a band that clearly had the same love for music as the crowd.

The Districts @ Great Scott

I had decided to go to Tor Miller because his music and a small venue sounded like a good place to spend a Thursday evening. Miller had just released an EP titled 

After waiting for doors to open 40 minutes after they were supposed to, the short line waiting to get into the Red Room at Cafe 939 quickly filled up with fans attempting to get as close to the stage as possible. I settled for an okay spot off to the side, mostly because I did not want to fight for a better view against the competitive-looking girls holding their spots inches from the grand piano that Tor Miller would soon play.

The opener, Sean Miller who is also the lead guitarist in Tor’s band, played a short set. He was talented, funny, and extremely casual with the crowd. He closed his opening set with a one of his original songs, but with the audience snapping and clapping the beats in substitution of any instruments or tracks, which was a unique experience and left the crowd intrigued.

Tor Miller came on soon after. He opened with “All Fall Down” and then “Midnight,” both of which are off his new EP. The songs sounded good, but nothing that got the crowd dancing or moving. Tor talked about his memories growing up in New York City and traveling with friends. He continued on with his set alternating between songs from his new EP and his 2015 EP.

Honestly, none of the songs blew me away. I began regretting my choice of standing close to the stage and wish I had opted for one of the couches in the back. I could not tell if the fans were really enjoying the show, or just convincing their snapchats that they were having a good time. I overheard conversations of friends making plans after the show during his most popular song, “Carter and Cash.” When Tor ended his set with “Hold the Phone,” an emotional song that was the turning point in his career, people were checking their phones and nodding that the show was over at a reasonable hour.

Tor Miller is definitely a talented musician, but the clichés of New York City streets and wanderlust that filled the show were not as inspiring to the crowd as they were meant to be. If you wanted to see Tor Miller live, go for it, but I recommend to take a seat in the back and just listen instead of trying to force yourself to get into the hype of the show.

Shannon O'Dwyer