The dull and unchanging instrumental blended with Mac Demarco’s repetitive vocals fill the opening track, the song “Here Comes the Cowboy.” But after the drab aesthetic of the opening track, I was quickly and happily surprised as the album progressed.

Straight away, “Nobody” instantly changed my impression of the album. Demarco’s slow and raspy voice pairs perfectly with the unique background music to create the same vibe as the song “Here Comes the Cowboy,” but is executed much better. The raspy vocals continue into “Little Dogs March,” but also includes some higher and somewhat strained-sounding singing throughout the chorus. Despite my initial negative reaction to this different sound, it surprisingly fits well with the rest of the song.

Many of the songs, including “Preoccupied,” “K,” and “Skyless Moon,” on “Here Comes the Cowboy” have a sad and lovesick feeling from both the lyrics and instrumental. The one that stands out to me as the best is “K,” because Demarco’s voice is a lot less raspy than the others which makes the song feel like a true love song to me, while “Preoccupied” has a much more depressing mood.

Most of the album has a leisurely pace, but Demarco picks up the pace in both “Choo Choo” and “Hey Cowgirl.” “Choo Choo” has a funky beat that’s very different from the rest of the album and it’s almost a little funny how Demarco sings the lyrics choo choo in the essence of a child. The guitar heavy country sound of “Hey Cowgirl” is very fitting for the song title, which is one of the happiest songs on “Here Comes the Cowboy” and an embodiment of the smiley face album cover.

To me, the stand out songs from the album were “Heart to Heart” and “All of Our Yesterdays.” “Heart to Heart” has a slow synth and guitar-based instrumental, similar to that of the song “Here Comes the Cowboy.” But unlike “Here Comes the Cowboy,” “Heart to Heart” is able to convey more feeling through the music and the limited vocals sound a lot better. In “All of Our Yesterdays,” the folk style of the guitar works beautifully with Demarco’s slow and sweet singing.

Overall, the album had very successful songs that created lots of feeling for me. Although it was an enjoyable album to listen to, it didn’t blow me away and definitely won’t be one of my top albums.

“Here Comes the Cowboy”: ★★★☆☆