In 2015, Mac Demarco released his instrumental album “Some Other Ones” right before the release of his acclaimed sophomore album “Another One.” The project was showcased at a barbeque where he was collecting food bank donations and was then added to his Bandcamp following the event, but it did not stay published for long. Soon it was removed from the internet, leaving bootlegs and leaks as the only way to access the album.
After an eight-year wait since its original release, “Some Other Ones” was silently re-released on streaming platforms on Nov. 8.
The project is instantly recognizable as something from that era. While lacking vocals, it sounds as if each track could have been on 2014’s “Salad Days” or 2015’s “Another One.” Each song is rhythmic and funky, without the complexities that later tracks like “Heart To Heart” would have. This is a project one could hear at a small indie show, while much of Demarco’s works post-2016 have a much more polished and artistic sound. The tone of this project is classic for Demarco and makes the project all the more fun to listen to.
While most songs were inaccessible to fans until recently, there was just one available for streaming. The track “Don Juan” can be found in the compilation “Philia: Artists Rise Against Islamophobia.”
Overall, “Another One” is something that has been missing from Demarco’s catalog, and it is great to finally have easy access to it in its entirety. Start to finish it is a fun listen, and while it does not reach the highs and lows of his preceding and following album, it does not need to. “Another One” is a simple yet funky instrumental made for a barbeque — nothing more, nothing less.
