Indie-pop artist Declan McKenna released his third studio album, “What Happened to the Beach?” on Friday, Feb. 9. In this new release, McKenna follows his pattern of experimenting with new sounds both with his voice and audio effects. This pattern of constantly trying to distinguish his past sound from his new one makes his profile as an artist very unique.
Consistent with his pattern, the album is short, comprising only 12 songs ranging in length from five minutes to less than a minute. The title being a question reflects a theme from his debut album, “What Do You Think About the Car?” Out of his now three released albums, I would say that the vibe of this album is most similar to his first.
Fans got three singles from this album: “Elevator Hum,” “Sympathy” and “Nothing Works.” Despite this insight, the album still surprised listeners with the springtime tone.
Before diving into the music itself, let’s take some time to look at the cover art. The cover features McKenna standing on a field in a suit with pants that are much too short for him — in line with his signature style. McKenna is standing in front of two cows while holding a metal detector. The metal detector seems to be a recurring theme in this era of McKenna’s music as it made another appearance on the cover art for the single “Nothing Works” when it was released. The bright colors were also hinted at when the singles were dropped, as their cover art reflects vibrancy and bold hues.
I’ll begin by reviewing the singles for those of you new to the realm of McKenna. The best way I can describe “Elevator Hum” is as a more mellow version of Harry Styles’ “Music For a Sushi Restaurant.” Not so much in terms of lyrics, but in production. McKenna layers his vocals in the chorus like Styles does in his seemingly minions-inspired sound effects. The tempo is also similar between the two songs. Styles’ song provides an energy that motivates the start of a day, whereas McKenna’s song would be good to listen to as your day winds down.
You might have heard a snippet of “Sympathy” if you watched the rom-com film “Anyone But You.” In this song, McKenna relies more on using different combinations of instruments rather than over-enhancing them with effects. Relying on the integrity of the instruments rather than technology makes this song lively.
If you’re a runner, I can confirm that the final single, “Nothing Works,” is for you. This is the most upbeat of the three singles and one of the most upbeat, if not the most upbeat, in the whole album. However, despite the tone of the production, this is not necessarily a cheerful song. The lyrics convey McKenna’s dilemma between writing what he wants and pleasing others. A common theme in his music is that he comments on social issues and world politics. For some, that’s what makes his music so appealing. Yet, others, like his label team, are not fond of it because they do not entirely understand it.
Now, we can move on to some of the newer songs. The opening track, “WOBBLE,” provides listeners with another reflection from his debut album. In the debut, the opening track, “Humongous,” opened with the album’s title with the lyric, “Dec, what do you think about the car? / Do you like it?” The first line in “WOBBLE” is also the album’s title. The song seems to comment on society’s response, or lack thereof, to climate change.
Skipping over to “I Write The News,” McKenna uses this song as a call-out to people who ignore prominent social issues such as child labor and drug abuse. McKenna makes references to Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is nicknamed “Zombieland” or “City of Zombies” because of the astronomically high addiction rate and poverty. McKenna uses this reference to depict how people of power use the unfortunate as stepping stones to get richer.
The final song I’ll review the five-minute track “It’s an Act.” Despite being the longest track on the album, it is sparse in lyrics. McKenna focuses on using instruments and effects to create the dramatics and convey the song’s somber tone. The story of this song seems to be about a fickle friendship. The song details a personal experience rather than a social commentary.
Whether you’re a long-time fan of McKenna or a first-time listener, this album will not disappoint you. You can stream “What Happened to the Beach?” now wherever you get your music.
Rating: 5/5