This record has a lot to do with my family and my life right now and the way I'm feeling and stuff," he says. "One of the main goals for this record was trying to make sure I retained some kind of realness. That's the bottom line. Being in any sort of spotlight can be jarring, especially when you're not preoccupied with touring and you're just sitting in your house writing songs. But wherever my bedroom is, the records are gonna be whatever is happening in there. I could be in Alaska and I'm sure it wouldn't change things much."

Speaking of roots, while it's known that DeMarco's family history is complicated at best, the songs here may be the closest glimpse into his personal life and relationships with his kin he's ever allowed. But then again, they may not be. Only one thing is certain: the titular mutt, naturally, is DeMarco himself, and as he brings us into his world, he makes sure it's from his own hard-earned vantage point and measured post. For me, I would say this is the definitive release. I love the official release of this album so much; it hold a special place in my heart that will remind me of a period of my life. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.

Side guide

Though used to and pretty happy with that annual grind, it was a little space, in time, location, and method, that inspired DeMarco while making the record. Moving from his isolated Queens home to a house in Los Angeles helped give the somewhat transient Canada-native a broader base, and a few more months on his calendar to create did their job as well. Arriving in California with a grip of demos he'd written in New York, he realized after a few months of setting up his new shop, complete with a few new toys, that the gap was giving him perspective (insert tooth joke here). Despite the changes considered during the creation of This Old Dog, Mac DeMarco's mid-twenties masterpiece, it's clear that the engine that motors him is in no danger of slowing down.