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Here Comes the Cowboy

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Here Comes the Cowboy
Studio album by
Mac DeMarco
ReleasedMay 10, 2019 (2019-05-10)
Recorded2018–2019
StudioLos Angeles, California
GenreIndie rock[1] · indie folk
Length46:32
LabelMac's Record Label, Caroline Distribution
ProducerMac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco chronology
This Old Dog
(2017) 		Here Comes the Cowboy
(2019) 		Five Easy Hot Dogs
(2023)
Singles from Here Comes the Cowboy
  1. "Nobody"
    Released: March 5, 2019
  2. "All of Our Yesterdays"
    Released: April 2, 2019
  3. "On the Square"
    Released: May 7, 2019

Here Comes the Cowboy is the fourth full-length studio album by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mac DeMarco, released on May 10, 2019, through Mac's Record Label.

Background

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DeMarco recorded the album at his house, specifically in his garage,[2] based in Los Angeles. He played all the instruments except for some keyboard playing, by bandmate Alec Meen.[2] His sound engineer Yakitori Senar, helped him arrange the tracks.[2] While recording, DeMarco said that it was raining, in which raindrops can be heard through the recording, hitting his garage windows.[2]

In a DIY interview, DeMarco wanted the album to sound like a "demo record", saying "That was maybe the thing, you can't keep tweaking to get to that, you have to let it rest."[3]

DeMarco talked about the production the album, saying

"That’s the funny thing with this record: most of the writing for it, I would just sit down and do something on this thing, and something over here, and a little drum, and sing a little bit, and usually I mean, the song feels finished the first time I put it down. It’s like there’s the idea, — some of the things I change a little bit. But the initial sketch of it is always the most organic feeling to me. There’s a difference in my mind between the song being finished, and the recording being finished, and the recording part was what drove me. I would fall in love with the initial the way it sounds. It’s kind of weird, I just popped it up and here you go, and then to try and be like, “Well now I have to make it sound a little fancier so like people will… you know… so it like doesn’t sound like shit.” And then there’s that teeter totter of, “But I want it to have the garbage aspect that it had when it was born."[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.3/10[5]
Metacritic69/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Guardian[8]
The Independent[9]
Mojo[10]
NME[11]
The Observer[1]
Pitchfork6.7/10[12]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Uncut8/10[15]

Here Comes the Cowboy received polarized reviews upon release from critics and fans. While some critics noted a musical maturity for DeMarco and the minimalist production, most critics were divided on the album's slower pace and lack of focus. Thomas Hobbs of NME said of the album, "Here Comes the Cowboy suggests Mac DeMarco is ready to explore more mature themes and grow beyond the slacker image he has helped turn into a pop-culture staple. This record's slower pace won't be for everybody, just as unassuming This Old Dog wasn't, but, should you let it, this record will transport you somewhere calm and reflective. At a time of great chaos, that sure sounds good to me."[11] Rolling Stone's Joe Levy called the songs "stark, meditative, lonely, and stubbornly isolated, like spending 45 minutes petting a cat. A static search for comfort."[14]

In a generally mixed review, Timothy Monger of AllMusic said of the album, "With its camera phone happy-face button cover and minimalist production, Here Comes the Cowboy is a mixed bag of a record beset by an overall aimlessness where some crafty low-key gems have to share the bus with a few inane clunkers that probably should have stayed in the vault." Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian noted that Here Comes the Cowboy may retain some of the disarming simplicity and emotional universality that has become DeMarco's trademark, but it is ultimately an album that fails to welcome the listener warmly into its world."

Year-end rankings

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Publication List Rank Ref.
GQ (Russia) The 20 Best Albums of 2019 —
[16]

Commercial performance

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Here Comes the Cowboy debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 with 27,000 album-equivalent units, of which 20,000 were pure album sales. It is DeMarco's first US top 10 album.[17]

In January 2023, the track "Heart to Heart" became a viral hit on TikTok. As a result, the song became DeMarco's first to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at #98, reaching #83 after achieving over 5.8 million streams within a week in the US.[18]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Mac DeMarco

No.TitleLength
1."Here Comes the Cowboy"3:00
2."Nobody"3:32
3."Finally Alone"2:25
4."Little Dogs March"2:29
5."Preoccupied"4:00
6."Choo Choo"2:39
7."K"3:33
8."Heart to Heart"3:31
9."Hey Cowgirl"2:16
10."On the Square"3:29
11."All of Our Yesterdays"4:04
12."Skyless Moon"4:05
13."Baby Bye Bye"7:29
Total length:46:32

Notes

  • "Heart to Heart" features uncredited vocals by Mac Miller.

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the album liner notes.

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 98
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 42
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 112
Irish Albums (IRMA)[25] 37
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[26] 6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 58
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 23
US Billboard 200[30] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31] 2
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[32] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] 3

References

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  1. ^ a b Morris, Damien (May 12, 2019). "Mac DeMarco: Here Comes the Cowboy review – old-hat indie rock". The Observer. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Mac Demarco - Here Comes the Cowboy". Rough Draft. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Cowboy About Town: Mac DeMarco". DIY. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  4. ^ "Q&A Mac DeMarco". Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "Here Comes The Cowboy by Mac DeMarco reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Here Comes the Cowboy by Mac DeMarco Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Here Comes the Cowboy – Mac DeMarco". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (May 10, 2019). "Mac DeMarco: Here Comes the Cowboy review – self-indulgent comedy indie". The Guardian. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  9. ^ Monroe, Jazz (May 9, 2019). "Mac DeMarco sounds like he can't be bothered on new album 'Here Comes the Cowboy'". The Independent. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  10. ^ McNair, James (June 2019). "Mac DeMarco: Here Comes the Cowboy". Mojo (307): 93.
  11. ^ a b Hobbs, Thomas (May 10, 2019). "Mac DeMarco – 'Here Comes The Cowboy' review". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  12. ^ Hockley-Smith, Sam (May 10, 2019). "Mac DeMarco: Here Comes the Cowboy". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Catchpole, Chris (July 2019). "Mac DeMarco: Here Comes the Cowboy". Q (399): 109.
  14. ^ a b Levy, Joe (May 10, 2019). "Mac DeMarco's 'Here Comes the Cowboy' is a Chill Search for Comfort". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Anderson, Jason (May 31, 2019). "Mac DeMarco – Here Comes The Cowboy". Uncut. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Brontwein, Sofia (December 20, 2019). "Лучшие музыкальные альбомы 2019 года" [The Best Albums of 2019]. GQ (Russia). Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 19, 2019). "Logic Scores Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Zellner, Xander (January 24, 2023). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Mac DeMarco Debuts With 2019 Track 'Heart to Heart'". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  19. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  22. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Mac DeMarco". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  26. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 17, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mac DeMarco – Here Comes the Cowboy". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  30. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  31. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  32. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  33. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
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