Guitar (Mac DeMarco album)

Guitar
Studio album by
Mac DeMarco
ReleasedAugust 22, 2025
RecordedNovember 16–28, 2024[1]
StudioMac's home studio, Los Angeles, California
Length30:54
LabelMac's Record Label
ProducerMac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco chronology
One Wayne G
(2023) 		Guitar
(2025)
Singles from Guitar
  1. "Home"
    Released: June 24, 2025
  2. "Holy"
    Released: July 22, 2025
  3. "Phantom"
    Released: August 19, 2025

Guitar is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Mac DeMarco, released on August 22, 2025. Three promotional singles were issued from the album: "Home", released on June 24, 2025, "Holy", released on July 22, 2025, and "Phantom", released on August 19, 2025. Tours across North America and Europe to support the album were also announced.

Background

In 2023, following Mac DeMarco's release of One Wayne G, there was speculation that DeMarco would be retiring from music in reference to him telling an audience in 2022 that "After this tour, there's nothing on the books. So who knows, maybe I'll never be back." DeMarco responded these rumors during an appearance on Emma Chamberlain's podcast where he revealed plans to focus on a new album now that he was done with One Wayne G, adding that he had a new idea for a future album and that "it's going to be good".[2] In 2024, DeMarco recorded demos for an album called Hear The Music. Due to his dissatisfaction with the album's recording process, DeMarco shelved the album.[3][4] In November 2024, DeMarco wrote and recorded a new batch of songs in his home studio in Los Angeles over the course of twelve days, which were mastered by David Ives.[4][5]

On April 8, 2025, DeMarco announced that he would be going on a tour across the United States, Canada, as well as Europe between August and December 2025. The tour is set to begin following the release of a new album that he additionally announced will be released in August 2025.[5][6][7][8] The title of the album, Guitar, was revealed on June 24, 2025, along with its track listing and the release of its lead single, "Home", along with a music video for the track.[9] On July 22, DeMarco released another single from the album, "Holy", along with another music video.[10] A third single, "Phantom", was released on August 19.[11]

DeMarco has said that Guitar is "a close representation of where I'm at in my life today as I can manage on paper".[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Paste Magazine6.7/10[14]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
Slant Magazine[16]
Clash Magazine8/10[17]
Pitchfork7.8/10[18]

Guitar received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album got assigned a 76 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", from 14 critic scores.[12]

Exclaim! writer Dylan Barnabe gave a positive review, comparing it to a "late summer harvest", and that Mac "yields some of his most mature, sweet, and ripe fruit on his recent album".[15] Pitchfork writer Grayson Haver Currin wrote that the songs that Mac performs are "endearing and affecting", while looking at the "wreckage of his past" and imagining a "sweeter future".[18]

Paste Magazine writer Sam Rosenberg gave a mixed review. He wrote "On his wistful, acoustic-heavy sixth album, the Canadian rocker strips his sound down to its barest elements, but the minimalist approach doesn’t quite play to his strengths."[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mac DeMarco.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Shining"3:08
2."Sweeter"2:59
3."Phantom"1:50
4."Nightmare"2:16
5."Terror"3:03
6."Rock and Roll"3:02
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Home"2:11
2."Nothing at All"3:16
3."Punishment"2:00
4."Knockin'"2:20
5."Holy"2:24
6."Rooster"2:25
Total length:30:54

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[19][20]

Charts

Chart performance for Guitar
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[21] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 173
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[23] 16
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[24] 152
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 24
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[26] 39
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[27] 10
US Billboard 200[28] 173
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 26
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[30] 42

References

  1. ^ a b "Guitar 12" Yellow LP". Hello Merch. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  2. ^ Hudson, Alex (June 7, 2023). "Mac DeMarco Clarifies That He's Not Retiring, Is Planning a New Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  3. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (2025-08-11). "Is Mac DeMarco the Last Indie Rock Star?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  4. ^ a b Moran, Robert (2025-08-21). "His album was finished. Then he scrapped it and made a new one in 12 days". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  5. ^ a b Taysom, Joe (April 8, 2025). "Mac DeMarco confirms new album and announces tour". Far Out. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  6. ^ Darville, Jordan (April 8, 2025). "Mac DeMarco shares 2025 tour dates, teases new album". The Fader. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  7. ^ Strauss, Matthew (April 8, 2025). "Mac DeMarco Teases New Album, Announces 2025 Tour Dates". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  8. ^ Carter, Daisy (April 9, 2025). "Mac DeMarco is hitting the road for a 2025 tour". DIY. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  9. ^ "Mac DeMarco Announces New Album Guitar". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  10. ^ "Mac DeMarco releases new single, "Holy"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  11. ^ Monroe, Jazz (2025-08-19). "Mac DeMarco Shares New Song "Phantom"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  12. ^ a b Guitar by Mac DeMarco, retrieved 2025-08-22
  13. ^ "Guitar by Mac DeMarco". AllMusic.
  14. ^ a b "Mac DeMarco Plays Guitar and Nothing Else". Paste.
  15. ^ a b "Mac DeMarco's 'Guitar' Doesn't Fret the Small Stuff". Exclaim!.
  16. ^ "Mac DeMarco 'Guitar' Review: The Fog of Despair". Slant.
  17. ^ "Mac DeMarco - Guitar". Clash.
  18. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver. "Mac DeMarco: Guitar". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  19. ^ Guitar (Media notes). Mac DeMarco. Mac's Record Label. August 22, 2025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Guitar / Mac DeMarco / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 1, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mac DeMarco – Guitar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums de la semaine 35, 2025" [Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums of Week 35, 2025] (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  24. ^ "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 35 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  27. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  28. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  29. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  30. ^ "Mac DeMarco Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
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