Just before Christmas, Mac DeMarco releases his contribution to this year’s Christmas soundtrack: He covers the song “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” and gives the holiday classic a relaxed and restful atmosphere.
Santa Claus on his motorbike, on the road between the palm trees and the big city? Not exactly the picture that Christmas movies and stories have always painted for us.
However, that seems to be the reality of Canadian singer Mac DeMarco as he releases his take on the classic, originally written by Bing Crosby, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
It’s not the first time the Canadian has covered a Christmas song, over the years a respectable collection of songs such as “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” or “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” has formed.
In the video for the new song, Mac DeMarco and Dan McNeill make Los Angeles feel unsafe on a motorcycle: one in an inflatable Santa suit, the other as a gingerbread man.
Sonically, the track doesn’t deviate too much from the original, but feels a bit more stripped down, sticks almost exclusively to the keys and creates a relaxed, light, rippling atmosphere – which, when paired with the video, sounds more like Christmas at sun under the palm trees, than after the festive days in the snow.
Beyond Christmas, not much has been heard from the singer-songwriter in recent years. Two albums were released in 2020 which featured demos of “Here Comes The Cowboy”, which had been released a year earlier. MusikBlog’s review says of the latter:
“Recorded in DeMarco’s home garage, the opening duo (“Here Comes The Cowboy,” “Nobody”) oscillates between dinningroom country and narcotic singer-songwriter pop. On the following “Finally Alone” DeMarco takes his voice to unimaginable heights. The softly galloping percussion forms a musical trellis as the little four-legged friends set off for a Sunday walk (“Little Dogs March”).”
Let’s just hope that the new year brings us new music from the Canadian, but until then, all that’s left is to sweeten the holidays with a good helping of holiday music from Mac DeMarco’s repertoire.
