| Here Comes the Cowboy | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Mac DeMarco |
| Cover: | Mac-DeMarco-Here-Comes-The-Cowboy-00842812112638-e1557039292481.png |
| Recorded: | 2018–2019 |
| Studio: | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre: | Indie rock · indie folk |
| Length: | 46:32 |
| Label: | Mac's Record Label, Caroline Distribution |
| Producer: | Mac DeMarco |
| Prev Title: | This Old Dog |
| Prev Year: | 2017 |
| Next Title: | Five Easy Hot Dogs |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
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.
DeMarco recorded the album at his house, specifically in his garage, based in Los Angeles. He played all the instruments except for some keyboard playing, by bandmate Alec Meen.[1] His sound engineer Yakitori Senar, helped him arrange the tracks. While recording, DeMarco said that it was raining, in which raindrops can be heard through the recording, hitting his garage windows.
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."[2]
DeMarco talked about the production the album, saying
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." Rolling Stones Joe Levy called the songs "stark, meditative, lonely, and stubbornly isolated, like spending 45 minutes petting a cat. A static search for comfort."
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."
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.[3]
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.[4]
Notes
Adapted from the album liner notes.