In the 2014 Pitchfork documentary Pepperoni Playboy, DeMarco reveals that the trick to his signature sound is “ all pitch control you dumbasses, get yourself a tape machine” as he jokingly bends the song Let Her Go into a beautiful sluggish mess using the pitch knob on his Fostex. Step 2: Equal parts analogue, tape and cigarettesĪ large portion of the warm, wobbly vibes on Salad Days came about through the use of analog gear, including a Focusrite ISA One Analog Preamp, his vintage Roland Juno-60, and most notably, his Fostex A-8 Tape machine. And without added opinions from musicians, co-writers, producers or engineers, Salad Days emerged from the womb as a very authentic creature, a reflection of DeMarco himself. Whether it was his prowess on the fretboard, his no-frills style of drumming or his uncertainty with keys, Mac’s unassisted writing, performing and engineering on the album spawned a truly unfiltered product of who he is. Keyboard: I’m not super good at, but that’s fun for me because I don’t really know what I’m doing, and maybe something weird will happen, y’know?” In 2014, when American Songwriter asked Mac why he didn’t involve his band in the recording of Salad Days, he responded by saying “I feel like I’m most satisfied when I can do it myself… Guitar and bass: I’m okay at. This aspect of his creative process really shines on Salad Days, an album that was performed, recorded and mixed entirely by DeMarco himself at Jizz Jazz Studios – his small Brooklyn apartment. His music is directly a result of his character, not the other way around.

Mac’s demeanour isn’t some façade conveniently reflective of his music used to sell records to young rebellious teens.

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