DECLAN MCKENNA
What Happened To The Beach? (Tomplicated)
Somehow, Declan McKenna still feels a tad under the radar despite being one of the finest indie songwriters of the past decade. Perhaps his new album What Happened To The Beach? can change that. The songs here range from almost twee folk, Wobble, to catchy indie bangers, The Phantom Buzz (Kick In) and really showcase McKenna’s range as a songwriter.
Two of his recent singles Sympathy and Elevator Hum are not even the strongest tunes on the album with the likes of the excellent Nothing Works and the soft funk single Mulholland’s Dinner And Wine are instant highlights. Indeed, there’s not a weak song on the album (and there’s no sign of McKenna’s cover of Abba’s Slipping Through My Fingers which went viral on TikTok either) and yet somehow there’s a feeling that he’s not even begun to peak yet.
words JOSHUA WILLIAMS