“Preoccupied” conveys how, in the age of technology and mass media, many people are sending their attention away from organic human interaction and get distracted easier. This type of comment on “the days that we’re living in” is rare with Demarco, but is seen in other songs in this album (“Nobody”, “Finally Alone”, “All of our Yesterdays”).

The song is accompanied with the soothing sounds of birds chirping to imply that people should relax and slow themselves, which connects to Demarco’s theme of simplicity in “cowboy life” throughout this album. He uses this term in an endearing way to express a contradicting feeling to the fast-paced mainstream in the modern world.

This is Demarco wincing at all the people on their phones and not in the moment, at his own concert (WARNING: This is not a real, verifiable case of Mac actually wincing at phones. It’s used to illustrate a possible interpretation of the song).