Salad Days (Mac DeMarco album)

DeMarco recorded Salad Days in his apartment, in the Bedford–Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York,{{cite web|last=Hoby|first=Hermione|title=Mac DeMarco: 'I live like a scumbag, but it's cheap'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/22/mac-demarco-salad-days|work=theguardian.com|access-date=March 23, 2014|date=March 22, 2014}} following an extensive tour in support of his debut releases, Rock and Roll Night Club and 2, both of which were released in 2012. DeMarco noted that he felt "fuckin' bummed out", upon the tour's completion, stating: "I feel sort of weathered and beat down and grown up all of a sudden. I've always had some kind of plateau that I wanted to reach, and now I just can't see the next one.".{{cite web|last=Buck|first=Chris|title=Cover Story: Mac DeMarco|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/reader/mac-demarco/|work=pitchfork.com|access-date=June 23, 2014}} The album was recorded on a Fostex A-8, just like its predecessor, 2.{{cite web | url=https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/3d5yjj/hi_cheech_its_mac_d_ama/ct24rcm | title=R/Indieheads - Comment by u/Realmacbriare on "Hi Cheech, it's Mac D AMA" }}

On the sound of Salad Days, DeMarco said: "I didn't want to freak anybody out with a huge sound change. I wanted to transition without changing the vibe too much. The mood for Salad Days is, 'Fuck man! I was just on tour for a year and a half and I'm tired!'"{{cite web|last=Lindsay|first=Cam|title=Mac DeMarco Explains the April Fool's Day Significance of 'Salad Days'|url=http://exclaim.ca/News/mac_demarco_explains_april_fools_day_significance_of_salad_days|work=Exclaim!|access-date=March 23, 2014|date=February 21, 2014}}

Regarding the album's lyrical content, DeMarco consciously decided to write a more personal record than its predecessor, 2 (2012), stating there wouldn't be any songs about "absolutely nothing", and that he "need[ed] to get this shit out". Three of the album's tracks focus upon his long-term girlfriend Kiera McNally, with "Let My Baby Stay" referencing the couple's decision to move from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to Brooklyn.

The track "Chamber of Reflection" is based on Sekitō Shigeo’s composition “Word 2”. It references a Freemasonry concept, also called the Chamber of Reflection. DeMarco subsequently likened the concept to his home studio: "It's a room people go into before you're initiated into freemasonry. It's like a meditation room, and they lock you in there for a period of time. The purpose is to reflect on what you've done in your life already and move on from it. I think that's what I did in [my home studio] right here. It was actually therapeutic. I feel a little enlightened, a little less heavy. It's tight".

On January 12, 2014 Mac DeMarco told CKUA Radio Network that his second studio album would be titled Salad Days and would be released in April. He also performed three new songs: "Treat Her Better", "Salad Days" and "Let Her Go".{{cite web|last=Minsker|first=Evan|title=Watch/Listen: Mac DeMarco Performs New Songs From Upcoming Album Salad Days|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/53562-watchlisten-mac-demarco-performs-new-songs-from-upcoming-album-salad-days/|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=January 24, 2014|date=January 12, 2014}} The next day, he announced 36 tour dates in North America, South America and Europe.{{cite web|last=Minsker|first=Evan|title=Mac DeMarco Announces Tour|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/53580-mac-demarco-announces-tour/|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=January 24, 2014|date=January 13, 2014}} On January 21, the release date of April 1, the track listing and album cover were revealed. That day also saw the release of the first single, "Passing Out Pieces", and the album was made available for pre-order in the iTunes Store with an immediate download for "Passing Out Pieces".{{cite web|last=Minsker|first=Evan|title=Mac DeMarco Details New Album Salad Days, Shares "Passing Out Pieces"|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/53576-mac-demarco-details-new-album-salad-days-shares-passing-out-pieces/|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=January 24, 2014|date=January 21, 2014}} The second single, "Brother", was released on March 6.{{cite web|last=Pelly|first=Jenn|title=Listen to Mac DeMarco's New Single "Brother"|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/54248-listen-mac-demarco-brother/|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=March 6, 2014|date=March 6, 2014}}

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 7.9/10{{cite web |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/6246/Mac-DeMarco-Salad-Days.aspx |title=Salad Days by Mac DeMarco reviews |website=AnyDecentMusic? |access-date=December 18, 2019}}

| MC = 82/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/salad-days/mac-demarco |title=Reviews for Salad Days by Mac DeMarco |website=Metacritic |access-date=April 1, 2014}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/salad-days-mw0002615352 |title=Salad Days – Mac DeMarco |website=AllMusic |access-date=November 16, 2019 |last=Thomas |first=Fred}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = A−{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/review/his-sophomore-effort-mac-demarco-replaces-weirdnes-202658 |title=For his sophomore effort, Mac DeMarco replaces weirdness with wisdom |work=The A.V. Club |date=April 1, 2014 |access-date=April 1, 2014 |last=Mincher |first=Chris}}

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/27/mac-demarco-salad-days-review |title=Mac DeMarco – Salad Days review |work=The Guardian |date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=April 1, 2014 |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis}}

| rev4 = Mojo

| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal |title=Mac DeMarco: Salad Days |journal=Mojo |issue=249 |date=August 2014 |page=94}}

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = 9/10{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/mac-demarco/15233 |title=Mac DeMarco – 'Salad Days' |journal=NME |date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=January 2, 2016 |last=Denney |first=Alex |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818085211/http://www.nme.com/reviews/mac-demarco/15233 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

| rev6 = The Observer

| rev6score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/20/salad-days-review-mac-demarco |title=Salad Days review – Mac DeMarco's carefree take on anxiety |work=The Observer |date=April 20, 2014 |access-date=April 20, 2014 |last=Fox |first=Killian}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 8.5/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19170-mac-demarco-salad-days/ |title=Mac DeMarco: Salad Days |work=Pitchfork |date=April 1, 2014 |access-date=April 1, 2014 |last=Hogan |first=Marc}}

| rev8 = Q

| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal |title=Mac DeMarco: Salad Days |journal=Q |issue=334 |date=May 2014 |page=108}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/salad-days-20140401 |title=Salad Days |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 1, 2014 |access-date=April 1, 2014 |last=Ayers |first=Mike}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10score = 8/10{{cite journal |url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/mac-demarco-salad-days/ |title=Mac DeMarco is the Slacker With a Heart of Gold on the Endearing 'Salad Days' |journal=Spin |date=March 28, 2014 |access-date=April 1, 2014 |last=Mapes |first=Jillian}}

}}

Upon its release, Salad Days was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Marc Hogan of Pitchfork stated that Salad Days "isn't a departure from its predecessor so much as a richer, increasingly assured refinement". Fred Thomas of AllMusic wrote that DeMarco showcases "a streamlined picture of his musical development", and that "with more memorable tracks and a slightly more accessible feel, the album is less distracted and more tuneful than before without losing any of the freewheeling spirit that made his songs and persona so attractive in the first place." Alex Denney of NME concluded that DeMarco had "simply dialled down the quirk and written his best record yet."

NME named Salad Days the second best album of 2014,{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/nme-s-top-50-albums-of-2014/364635 |title=NME's Top 50 Albums Of 2014 |journal=NME |access-date=May 13, 2016}} while the tracks "Chamber of Reflection" and "Passing Out Pieces" placed at numbers 10 and 26 respectively on their list of the top 50 tracks of 2014.{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/nme-s-top-50-tracks-of-2014/364505 |title=NME's Top 50 Tracks Of 2014 |journal=NME |access-date=May 13, 2016}} Salad Days was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.{{cite web |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/arcade-fire-drake-shad-make-polaris-music-prize-short-list-1.1914616 |title=Arcade Fire, Drake, Shad make Polaris Music Prize short list |publisher=CTV News |date=July 15, 2014 |access-date=July 15, 2014}} The album was the most played record across Canadian community radio in April 2014 and the second most played album of 2014, behind Chad VanGaalen's Shrink Dust, as tracked by the National Campus and Community Radio Association's national charts, !earshot.{{Cite web|url=https://www.earshot-online.com/charts/2014/April/top200.cfm|title=Charts : April 2014|website=Earshot-online.com|access-date=April 1, 2025}} In October 2019, Salad Days placed at no. 21 on [https://happymag.tv/ Happy Mag]'s list of "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s".{{Cite web|url=https://happymag.tv/the-25-best-psychedelic-rock-albums-of-the-2010s/|title=The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-16}}

Salad Days debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200 and number 11 on Top Rock Albums,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2014-04-19 |title=Billboard 200: The Week of April 19, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |access-date=August 20, 2015}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-albums/2014-04-19 |title=Top Rock Albums: The Week of April 19, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |date=2 January 2013 |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |access-date=August 20, 2015}} selling 10,000 copies in its first week.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6670444/disturbed-mac-demarco-number-1s-rock-charts |title=Disturbed & Mac DeMarco Notch No. 1s on Rock Charts |last=White |first=Emily |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |date=August 19, 2015 |access-date=August 20, 2015}} Its debut represented DeMarco's highest chart peak and best sales week until the release of Another One the following year. The album has sold 51,000 copies in the US as of July 2015.{{cite magazine|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150716173331/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |archive-date= July 16, 2015 |url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |title=Upcoming Releases |magazine=Hits Daily Double |publisher=HITS Digital Ventures }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Standard version{{cite web|title=Salad Days|url=https://music.apple.com/album/salad-days/799685692|work=iTunes Store|access-date=January 24, 2014}}

| total_length = 34:41

| all_writing = Mac DeMarco

| title1 = Salad Days

| length1 = 2:25

| title2 = Blue Boy

| length2 = 2:06

| title3 = Brother

| length3 = 3:32

| title4 = Let Her Go

| length4 = 3:02

| title5 = Goodbye Weekend

| length5 = 2:59

| title6 = Let My Baby Stay

| length6 = 4:08

| title7 = Passing Out Pieces

| length7 = 2:47

| title8 = Treat Her Better

| length8 = 3:49

| title9 = Chamber of Reflection

| length9 = 3:51

| title10 = Go Easy

| length10 = 3:24

| title11 = Jonny's Odyssey

| length11 = 2:38

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = iTunes pre-order bonus tracks

| extra_column =

| total_length = 39:13

| title12 = Go Easy

| note12 = Demo

| length12 = 3:30

| title13 = Passing Out Pieces

| note13 = Demo

| length13 = 3:02

}}

Credits adapted from physical releases

• Mac DeMarco - songwriting, all instruments, mixing
• Josh Bonati - mastering
• Coley Brown - photography
• Steven Marx - typography

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Salad Days}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=Salad Days|artist=Mac Demarco|award=Silver|relyear=2014|certyear=2023|access-date=March 19, 2023|id=18810-5895-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Salad Days|artist=Mac DeMarco|type=album|award=Gold|refname="RIAA"|relyear=2014|certyear=2023|access-date=June 3, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Mac DeMarco}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2014 albums

Category:Mac DeMarco albums

Category:Captured Tracks albums