1990–2008: Early life and education DeMarco was born in
Duncan, British Columbia, on
Vancouver Island, and raised in
Edmonton,
Alberta. His great-grandfather is
Vernor Smith, Alberta's former Minister of Railways and Telephones, for whom DeMarco was named, His mother, Agnes DeMarco, later changed his name to McBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco after his father left and refused to pay child support when DeMarco was four years old. DeMarco is also of
Italian descent. Mac DeMarco attended McKernan School for
junior high. Around this time he started playing guitar, with lessons from his grandmother. During high school he was in several bands, including
indie rock band the Meat Cleavers,
alternative R&B group the Sound of Love and
post-punk band Outdoor Miners (along with current keyboardist, Alec Meen), which was named after "
Outdoor Miner", a song by English rock band
Wire. He started smoking cigarettes as a teenager, which would become a significant part of his image. In January 2023, DeMarco said he no longer smokes. After graduating from
Strathcona High School in Edmonton in 2008, DeMarco became a backing musician. He then moved to
Vancouver.
2009–2012: Early projects and Rock and Roll Night Club in June 2012.|160px Living in the
Killarney neighbourhood, he released a self-produced album,
Heat Wave, as a part of the
indie rock project Makeout Videotape in 2009. The album sold out its 500-unit run. DeMarco worked on "psychedelic" video projects during this time. and worked on a
road paving crew. On January 9, 2012, record label
Captured Tracks announced the signing of DeMarco. In early 2012, he released an
LP titled
Rock and Roll Night Club. The four-track-recorded album features
skits and slowed-down vocals. On January 21, 2014, DeMarco announced the release of his upcoming second album,
Salad Days, along with debuting the lead single "Passing Out Pieces". The record was released on April 1, 2014, and again received the "Best New Music" designation from
Pitchfork. It was a shortlisted nominee for the
2014 Polaris Music Prize. DeMarco made his first talk show appearance (and second TV appearance after
The Eric Andre Show) when he performed the song "Let Her Go" on
Conan on March 30, 2015. On April 22, 2015, DeMarco announced the release of an upcoming album titled
Another One, which was released on August 7, 2015, in addition to a video depicting its making. DeMarco describes the album to be a collection of love songs.
Another One received a generally favourable response from music critics, scoring 75/100 on
Metacritic. Still in Rock has ranked this LP as the third best of 2015. On July 8, 2015, DeMarco released a 9-track
instrumental album titled
Some Other Ones and called it a "BBQ soundtrack". The album was later re-released in 2023 on streaming services.
2017–2018: This Old Dog On January 31, 2017, DeMarco announced his third studio album, titled
This Old Dog. He also released two singles from the album on the same day.
This Old Dog was released on May 5, 2017. On April 8, 2018, DeMarco appeared on
FishCenter Live and participated in an interview with
Max Simonet. He partnered with the non-profit organization Plus1 for his tours that year, and one dollar for every ticket purchase went to the
Girls Rock Camp Alliance to: "[empower] girls, trans and gender-diverse young people through music education and mentorship."
2019–2020: Here Comes the Cowboy On March 5, 2019, DeMarco announced his fourth studio album
Here Comes the Cowboy and shared the first single off the album, "Nobody". The album was released on May 10, 2019, on Mac's Record Label. The album received mixed reviews from critics and audiences upon release. It marked his first top ten appearance in the US
Billboard 200 at number 10. On September 7, 2020, DeMarco was featured on a collaboration with English artist Yellow Days, entitled "The Curse". On October 28, 2020, DeMarco was again featured on French musician
Myd's single "Moving Men". An animated version of DeMarco also appeared in the music video for the single. Released October 28, 2020, DeMarco also appeared in the music video for the song "Whatever You Want" by
Crowded House. DeMarco contributed a cover of the
Metallica song "
Enter Sandman" to the charity tribute album
The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021.
2021–2023: Line-up changes, Five Easy Hot Dogs, "Heart to Heart" success and One Wayne G , 2021 In October 2021, DeMarco returned to live performances following a hiatus due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. His return to the stage was marked by changes to his live band, with the departure of longtime members Joe McMurray, Andrew White and Jon Lent, and the addition of Darryl Johns (bass) and JD Beck (drums). Jon Lent left the band after being sentenced to two years in jail for sexual assault. DeMarco "immediately removed" Lent from the band after learning about his arrest. Andy White confirmed his departure shortly afterwards. DeMarco released an instrumental album,
Five Easy Hot Dogs, on January 20, 2023. The fourteen-track album was recorded in different locations during a road trip from
Los Angeles to
Utah. During the week of
Five Easy Hot Dogs' release, the track "Heart to Heart" from DeMarco's previous album,
Here Comes the Cowboy, became a viral hit on
TikTok. As a result, the song became DeMarco's first to chart on the US
Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at No. 83. The song also reached the top 10 and top 5 of Billboard's
Hot Rock Songs and
Hot Alternative Songs charts, respectively. On April 21, 2023, DeMarco released his first compilation album titled
One Wayne G, online only, without any prior announcement. The album, released without prior announcement, featured 199 tracks of instrumental and demo recordings made between 2018 and 2023. With a runtime of just a little under nine hours, it received positive coverage for its experimental format and intimate atmosphere.
2025–present: Guitar In 2024, DeMarco recorded an album titled
Hear The Music, which was not announced or released to the public. On April 8, 2025, DeMarco announced a tour beginning in August and ending in December 2025. The tour was set to be held following the release of his new album, which he additionally announced would be released in August 2025. DeMarco later announced additional tour dates in Europe in 2026. On June 24, 2025, Mac revealed the title of the album to be
Guitar and announced a release date of August 22, 2025. The announcement coincided with the release of a lead single, "Home". The album was recorded in November 2024 in Mac's home studio in Los Angeles, with DeMarco recording, mixing, and producing the album himself and David Ives mastering. During the European leg of the
Guitar tour, DeMarco hid copies of a "secret album" for fans to find. The album, titled
Dog On The Rock, had not been officially released, but was uploaded to the internet by fans who found the hidden CD-R copies. A second album, titled
Seven Off The Two, was found by fans in Canada and subsequently uploaded to Soundcloud. ==Artistry==