If I had to describe the feeling of nostalgia, I would say that Mac DeMarco’s 2014 record Salad Days would be one of the best possible answers. This is an album that to me is taking a look at the past. It’s a record that brings back memories and reflects on how they impact the present. Very melancholic in its sound, this record sits somewhere in the middle of happiness and depression. It’s equally comforting and lonely.
Mac DeMarco’s music has always sat somewhere between fun jangle-pop and sad indie ballads. Salad Days is more reflective than its predecessor, 2012’s 2, serving as a bridge between that record’s more fun moments and the more singer-songwriter stylings of 2017’s This Old Dog. It’s this duality that makes this record DeMarco’s best yet, containing both songs of deep loneliness and more fun nostalgic cuts.
When it comes to the individual songs, this album has some extremely high highs and decent lows. The opening title track reflects heavily on aging, with lyrics talking of “Salad days are gone”, a line that I take to refer to adolescence. It’s a great start to the record. After this, we get many short cuts, including album highlight “Brother”, featuring possibly my favorite instrumental on the record. I would say that this first leg of the record is not as strong as what is to come, with “Let Her Go” being the only other track that really stands out of this section.
The album really hits its stride on tracks 7-9. “Passing Out Pieces” is the moment that this record takes a darker step, featuring very vintage production and lyrics reflecting on how “What mom don’t know has taken its toll on me”. I find this to be a very powerful reflection on guilt and processing life’s harder moments and how they shape us into who we are. “Treat Her Better” is one of the record’s many romantic themed tracks (this one featuring one of DeMarco’s best choruses), and I would say that this is my personal favorite of the bunch. “Chamber of Reflection” is without a doubt the most popular track here – and for good reason; it is one of my favorite songs of all time, featuring stellar productions and a lonely atmosphere. It is a strong sign of the stylistic shift that DeMarco would take on his next record. I would say that the record could very well end here, but the album’s last track and the closing instrumental are perfectly fine. The only real weak track here is “Blue Boy”, a song that I have just never been able to get into.
Overall, “Salad Days” is a wonderfully melancholic record. It features amazing production, great lyricism, and some of the best songs of the 2010’s. I would say that the album’s high highs are brought down a little by a few less interesting tracks in the middle, but these songs all come together to create a very engaging record. I would say that it is definitely a great starting point to get into DeMarco’s discography and the 2010’s indie scene at large.

Highlights- “Passing Out Pieces”, “Chamber of Reflection” and “Salad Days”