Declan McKenna welcomes us into his refreshingly unique new era. The 25-year-old has released his third album What Happened to the Beach? which can only be described as a psychedelic trip into the singer’s mind.
McKenna first debuted in 2015 with his politicly charged first single Brazil and later saw the release of album What Do You Think About the Car? in 2017. Second album Zeros released in 2020, saw Declan McKenna take on a new form. This second piece of work is keeping with the political theme but with a glam-rock twist.
What Happened to the Beach? shows Declan McKenna reinventing himself once again but still managing to keep that classic sound. In this third album, he sheds the political commentary for a moment as we head inwards into his mind. McKenna takes us on a journey on discovering who we are.
The Album
According to NME, McKenna swapped the grey skies of the UK for sunny LA to write this new album, which “I used to cry at night all the time but now I’m out in the sunshine” in first track WOBBLE quickly tells us. He has been clearly influenced by the California culture in this his work.
The beachy, laidback melodies continue through tracks such as Breath of Light and Honest Test which provide us with some heavy 60s vibes, because who doesn’t love a retro pop sound.
The first main single Sympathy was released last year, keeps the good vibes coming. The song talks of a general feel of self-discovery with lyrics like “Sympathy is gonna come around so make peace and discover” encourages us to put our worries to the side.
In Mezzanine it continues this with “You are someone no one else can be”. The album is less about looking at the mess of the world and more into looking at ourselves and moving on.
But McKenna can’t help but comment and we don’t blame him. I Write the News brings us flying back to the political hell-scape of the UK. Maybe “The crime is high but so am I” shows us how we should be handling it.
Nothing Works gives us an extremely upbeat and chaotic sounding track Declan told NME “’Nothing Works’ came out of the frustration of feeling boxed in and tied to expectation, but it is a euphoric tune, at its core it’s a celebration of being true to yourself.”
Overall, the album is McKenna at his very best. Oozing with nostalgia and California sunshine, Declan McKenna brings us all a little bit of light during this dark winter. His first album in three years will definitely welcomed with open arms.
Spring 2024 Tour
Declan McKenna has announced a UK headline tour in 2024 in support of his album. The tour will be kicking off at Cardiff University on 23rd March with tickets on sale now. Full list of dates are below.
Tour Dates
23rd March – Great Hall, Cardiff University
24th March – UEA, Norwich
25th March – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
27th March – O2 Academy, Glasgow
29th March – O2 Academy, Sheffield
1st April – Ulster Hall, Belfast
2nd April – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin
5th April – O2 Apollo, Manchester
8th April – De Montfort Hall, Leicester
9th April – Beacon, Bristol
10th April – The Halls, Wolverhampton
12th April – Alexandra Palace, London
13th April – Brighton Centre, Brighton14th April – O2 Academy, Bournemouth
Feature Image Credit: ChuffMedia