Rating: 3.5/5
MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco, more commonly known as Mac DeMarco, released his newest instrumental album, “Five Easy Hot Dogs,” marking the Canadian singer-songwriter’s first album release since 2019 and eighth album to date. While the 14-record tracklist was released on Jan. 20, 2023, all of the songs were produced on a 2022 road trip DeMarco embarked on, pledging “not (to) go home to Los Angeles until (he) was done with a record,” according to DeMarco’s website announcement.
All of the 14 songs on the tracklist are named after the eight cities in which he recorded them, according to DeMarco’s website. The order of the songs in the tracklist outlines DeMarco’s road trip, starting west in Gualala, California, stretching north into Vancouver, Canada, and ending east in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York.
Despite the lack of vocals, this instrumental album is still able to capture the same indie charm DeMarco is widely known for in popular album releases such as “Here Comes The Cowboy” and “This Old Dog.” That charm reveals itself through the obscure piano notes or the instrument scratching in the background.
The tracks provide groovy, slow-moving beats that anyone can relax, study or stroll around the park too. Especially on tracks “Portland,” “Portland 2,” “Chicago,” and “Chicago 2,” listeners are left to their imaginations by closely listening to which beats pick up or drop off.
In “Portland,” DeMarco opts for a deeper, slower melody that adds to the song’s overall somber effect. It also complements the following song, “Portland 2,” in which the vibe shifts upward with more bubbly piano notes. Both songs’ recurring use of piano choruses relates the two tracks together; signifying a constancy of setting or emotion.
The use of repeating notes throughout the album tends to make the album monotonous at times, especially with similar instruments being used throughout multiple songs, the guitar being the dominant of the group. I noticed that by the end of the album, tracks like “Rockaway” and “Edmonton 2” seem like filler songs that do not contribute much to the listening experience besides the same slow, smooth beats.
The Chicago tracks feature guitar notes that were left to flare out, which placed me in a looser, carefree atmosphere. In “Chicago 2,” those loose notes carry through into the beginning of the song but slowly transition to more clearly defined upbeat notes.
It is worth noting that “Crescent City” is distinctly memorable for its drawn-out notes, akin to zooming into an object for focus and then quickly zooming out. Either the guitar or piano notes are magnified in volume at some points and then lowered down to create a pendulum effect.
While there are hints of DeMarco’s usual, obscure touch in “Five Easy Hot Dogs,” a 35-minute long instrumental album is not as thought-provoking as a lyrical album would have been. However, I feel that the aim of this instrumental was not for DeMarco to definitively establish meaning, but for the listener to derive their own interpretations through his melodies. Being an unfamiliar genre for me, it was both a difficult but enlightening experience to be left to my own imagination. I am not an avid consumer of instrumentals, however, I appreciate the album for the adventure-feel scenes it projects.