Much of what 2 by Mac DeMarco offers can be inferred from its cover. In it, DeMarco stands by a big bush holding an old electric guitar and a cigarette between his fingers. With a tired smile, he holds up a victory sign. Laid back and unembellished, like his music, featuring instruments one would find in a traditional four-man band (plus a synthesizer). Afloat over this small ensemble is DeMarco’s easy-going voice, which walks the listener through 11 honest songs about love, and life.

Life from the singer’s point of view is uneventful. The opening track paints a picture of a dull neighborhood where everything happens at a crawling pace. Around him, people lead productive lives, whether it be his mother doing housework, his father busy in the basement, or his brother practicing ballet. The singer lives in juxtaposition to his family, without doing anything of note. The upbeat electric guitar introduction betrays DeMarco’s discontent (and complacency) with his mundane routine. However, he’s not one to deny the simple pleasures of life. For one, the cigarette between his fingers. In “Ode to Viceroy,” a love letter to his preferred brand of cigarettes, DeMarco describes an addiction he knowingly depends on, and leans into. “I’m leaving it to you,” he sings to his cigarettes, backed by echoing guitar chords. Finally, between the smoke and lethargy of life, “The Stars Keep On Calling My Name” finds comfort in the idea of a better place, one the singer longs to escape to. What does he hope to find?

The singer’s perspective on love is just as defeating. “My Kind of Woman” describes a turbulent relationship between the singer and an ideal lover who drives him crazy one second but supports him the next. “Robson Girl,” another love song, shows the singer’s unwillingness to accept rejection. In his words: “Maybe when we’re older, we can try this over.” “Annie,” a song about the only character in this album that explicitly returns his love, makes more sense when one realizes that Annie is DeMarco’s term for alcohol.

2 expresses more than the modern struggle to find meaning; it expresses defeat. The entities that DeMarco wearily sings about all exist at a distance. He reaches out to them for hope but doesn’t get anything back. Through all this, alongside the upbeat sounding instrumentation, 2 treads a thin line between hope and despair.

The last track, “Still Together,” an acoustic ballad dedicated to DeMarco’s long-time partner, shows a change of pace, being the most introspective track on the album. Both the singer’s love and worries about his partner are put on display. He reaches into his upper register to deliver the chorus, repeating his only wish: “Together.” The song ends with an endearing skit which reveals to the listener that his partner was sleeping nearby throughout the recording, making it unclear as to whether she heard the song or not.

This song is the first moment of true optimism in the entire album, despite being the last on the track list. While DeMarco might struggle living an unsatisfying life, “Still Together” shows that there’s still hope in the form of love. And however unsteady and desperate this love might be, perhaps the best way to go about it is to just embrace it. In this way, what 2 aims to communicate is not defeat, but more so acceptance. This story is common. How difficult is it to truly be satisfied with one’s situation? Acknowledging this, DeMarco proposes a solution; to embrace the realities of our environment and find what is meaningful to us within it. In light of that, DeMarco’s smile on the cover makes more sense. He might be tired, but he’s still smiling. Could he be encouraging us to do the same?

About the Author

Born in South Korea and raised in Peru, Lima, Min Woo is a sophomore at the Division of International Studies, currently serving in the army.