Mellow, isolated, and dreamy. Words that would not only be a proper description of Duncan BC, but also one of Duncan BC’s most successful musical artists, Mac Demarco. 

I consider myself an old soul. I enjoy old time stories, movies, and music. As a result I commonly am turned off from the state of the current music industry. Everything has a sense of being overly manufactured. Not just in the music, but in the personalities and outfits that music stars of today wear. I can’t say it’s a distinct sound or look, yet I know when it’s there. So, when an artist maintains their authentic self and sound through fame and success it catches my eye. And that’s exactly how over 20 million of Mac DeMarcos monthly Spotify listeners feel as well.

DeMarco was born in Duncan BC but spent the majority of his childhood in Edmonton before moving to Vancouver in 2008, to further his musical aspirations. During his time in Vancouver he would form a band known as Makeout Video. And although the band never had any hit songs, it would be there where music admirers would acknowledge DeMarcos musical capability as well as his unique on stage presence that he himself would later label as “Slacker”. A “Slacker” is a person who avoids work, effort, and does enough to get by. 

The thing is, there’s a lot of people who would consider themselves “slackers” and naturally DeMarco’s fan base grew larger with mostly young adults/teenagers who resonated with the lyrics to his music. 

DeMarco didn’t only walk the walk but he talked the talk. A part of the reason why DeMarcos music has such a unique unmanufactured sound is in part to the fact that he never records in an expensive recording studio yet his basement while wearing nothing but his underwear, free from the stresses of the music industry. 

“I’ve recorded at home since I was a teenager, and I’m able to sit here in my underwear and keep trying different things until something works. I think if I did that in a studio the engineer would be like, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

It was in 2012 when DeMarco would fill his debut album “2” with songs that matched his persona and sound. Although 2 wasn’t a hit overnight it slowly became an indie music anthem as music listeners were just becoming aware of who Mac DeMarco was. It had 1.8 billion streams on Spotify since its release, as well as DeMarcos first appearance on the Billboard 100 list, where it would rank as high as 14 on the charts. 

Since, DeMarcos music has continued to evolve while still maintaining its unique indy sound. He’s released 9 solo albums, with each one having a different theme yet all successful. 

You could see that as his music has progressed he has been no stranger to experimenting with his music. In 2023 he would move to Los Angeles to record his album One Wayne G contained 199 songs all of which were unnamed, and instead numbered. Throughout the album a clear theme of experimentation, with songs showing shades of his past mellow self, to musical arrangements that would leave many of his listeners confused, yet impressed. 

When DeMarco speaks about his western Canadian heritage he acknowledges how his roots have played an influence in his music, and the person he is today. In 2025 he moved back to Vancouver island, and continues to live a very quiet life. There hasn’t been any news surrounding potential new music, but if history were to repeat himself, I’m willing to bet he has something in the works.