Declan McKenna Visits Mars in What Happened to the Beach?

Indie pop icon, Declan McKenna’s long-awaited third album What Happened to the Beach? finally dropped on February 9, a grueling four years after his sophomore LP’s release. Many fans adore McKenna, not only for his glittery eyeshadow complementing his upbeat indie-pop jams, but for his unique sense of humor, personal style and painfully long stretches between new releases. 

One often-overlooked aspect of McKenna’s songwriting — by casual listeners — is the unabashedly political nature of his lyricism: his debut album, What Do You Think About The Car? was chock-full of commentary on British class disparity, involvement in foreign wars and the struggles of suicidal trans and queer youth. 

His album progressions have seen an increasingly heavy-handed experimental pop influence, with What Happened to the Beach? being his most stylized work thus far. In an interview with Apple Music, McKenna stated that “the main thing … at the heart of the album was having this human and organic-feeling stuff combined with digital recording process and digital sounds,” an idea which led to the alien sounds careening through each track in tandem with the repetitive, deeply human lyricism. 

The esoteric first track “WOBBLE” opens with a twangy, banjo-esque instrumental, followed by McKenna’s vocals distorted to an almost-alien pitch. Upon first listen, it is impossible to predict what will come next. A standout lyric comes in toward the end of the first verse – the British indie-pop star confesses that “life’s really changed me,” informing listeners that this work will be vastly different from what they have become accustomed to in his discography thus far.

“Elevator Hum” opens up as a soft and sweet-sounding, almost fairylike-track as McKenna leans into his vocal falsetto. The chorus is a catchy breakdown reminiscent of ’80s pop hits, until the tune ultimately transitions back into the breathy, soft vocals that make up the majority of its runtime. During the track’s second half, these optimistic vocals begin to give off a sense of urgency. With a sense of joyful desperation, McKenna repeats the lines, “I want you to believe / You’re just like me / I want you to be free / To be happy.” The singer has since stated that the intent behind this song is to invite listeners to “open up and just let go while you’re listening to the album … to become one with me right now.” 

The third track, “I Write the News,” stood out to me immediately and quickly became my favorite song on the record. The song opens with Mckenna’s raw vocals atop groovy guitar beats that harken back to McKenna’s debut album, reminding listeners of his strong suit: creating a hard-hitting, politically charged track with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar. “I write the news / I know you can’t make sense of my southern views / Yes, London prices may seem stiff / But they roll you a spliff so you can’t refuse.” A unique instrumental breakdown follows the first verse, seamlessly transitioning back to the album’s esoteric sound by introducing bass, mellotron and a vocal synthesizer. He repeats the lyrics from the first verse, this time in a flat, monotone voice to really hammer his message home: “And the crime is high and so am I / And the Labour kids shout ‘to what extent?’ / I write the news / You’ve made way for some common abuse / Free gel pens, well, at whose expense?” According to McKenna, he wrote the song in his childhood bedroom during one of Britain’s many COVID-19 lockdowns, and that the lyrics were inspired by Twitter discourse in which there could be no resolution, because, “there’s no unifying truth anymore, multiple different people can just … believe that the facts are different on different issues.” Here, he touches upon a unique problem that has become increasingly prevalent in the post-COVID era of media bias and political propaganda machines. 

The upbeat, summery fourth track “Sympathy” has a bouncing melody that drowns out McKenna’s quietly shouted lyrics. This was the first single he released from the album, acting as “a stark introduction to the new world [he’s] created,” through this project (NME). “Sympathy” is instrumental focused, with its sweet, optimistic lyrics being slightly difficult to decipher upon first listen. Saccharine verses such as “I can see what you’re all about / You don’t need to be clever / If you don’t speak your thoughts aloud / You’ll just feel them forever” float by beneath the bouncing bass and synthesizer. At some points in the track, this rhythm is met with a melodic flute to create a song unlike anything McKenna has put out before. 

“Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine,” the fifth track, begins with a gorgeously harsh synth-drum beat. Each verse’s convoluted lyrics paint a picture of the relentless boredom and dissatisfaction of youth.

I found love for the little things in life

I’m not satisfied with what I want

We’ll stop time if you’re a little bit lonely

There’s no guarantee, but it’s all that I want

Each pre-chorus is sung in a floaty falsetto and is quickly juxtaposed by the flatter delivery of the chorus, making for a gripping listening experience. This groovy song evokes feelings not entirely dissimilar to killing time with your high school friends in the never-ending summers, teetering on adulthood. 

The surreal sixth track, “Breath of Light,” begins with drawn-out, distorted and heavily layered instrumental. McKenna’s breath is used as an instrument here; a layered, booming percussion bringing listeners uncomfortably close to the artist. Once his vocals finally kick in, instrumental effects crawl over his falsetto in such a way that makes him sound rather sci-fi. This song sounds like meeting a martian for the first time; the strange, repetitive chants gradually turn more sonically cosmic and then fade into gorgeous, indecipherable vocals. The backing track is groovy, constantly dipping and soaring and punctuated with curious twinkles. Towards the end, his vocals are distorted to an inhuman pitch – McKenna has described this track as “a song from ‘Gremlins’ in hell.” If you’re looking to lose yourself in a song, this is certainly a strong contender. 

Image courtesy of Nathan Barlow

“Nothing Works” is an introspective, euphoric track detailing McKenna’s difficulties trying to appease everyone — it follows his quick shot into the spotlight following his debut work. Lyrics like “Not like I’m up-and-comin’ anymore / So what if they hear me on my bathroom floor? / I’m sure they’re big enough now,” reference how fans have grown up alongside him, emphasizing the pressure to please those who have supported him throughout his career. He goes on to sing, “So what if they hear me singing ‘I love war?’ / I’m sure they’re big enough now,” as a reference to his 2019 single, “British Bombs,” which consists of lyrics satirically endorsing the British bombing of Yemen. While the song was released in protest of the war, McKenna reminds himself that he can’t control how people will interpret his music. As the song breaks down toward the end, he repeats the choral lyrics, “I sing the song and you didn’t like the words / I try to fix myself but nothing works.” Here, the instrumentals act as a cathartic resolution to the issue explored within this track — the stylized, chaotic breakdown is true to the musician’s matured style, conveying how he has allowed himself to grow as an artist and make the music he wants to make despite the nagging, ever-present urge to people-please.

The eighth track, “The Phantom Buzz (Kick In)” is an erratic, unique tune derived from a unique idea. In his interview with Apple Music, the indie songwriter stated that “the inspiration came from the feeling that your phone is buzzing but it’s not … turning it into a disease or something.” This short, spunky track explores a variety of sounds in very little time; McKenna’s vocal pitch and affect is constantly changing, and the guitar beat pumps in and out of intensity. 

The ninth track, “Honest Test,” is a sickly sweet love song: the falsetto vocals and high-pitched instrumentals leave you feeling floaty. While many of the lyrics seem a bit nonsensical and lacking in context, “Honest Test” explores the feeling of love without any attachment to a person or material object. 

You said, ‘For once in your life

Would you just get it right?

Make it easy for yourself, my love’

You said, ‘I never hung you to dry’

This lighthearted track is one of this album’s highlights, for me, as it is simply so romantic in such a unique way – my heart swells from the sweetness of McKenna’s lyrics, despite them (presumably) not being directed at anyone or anything in particular.

My honest testimony

I live for you (it’s so easy, babe)

The album’s dreamy tenth track “Mezzanine” feels like an ascension. Listers are reeled in from the more chaotic songs of the middle of the album with this track’s euphoric synth-pop vibe. The title, referencing the upper level of a theater’s seating, emphasizes the intent for this upbeat track to raise listeners higher, in a sense. Here, McKenna leans into a more traditional pop sound with his bright vocals. Staying true to this album’s unique instrumental lineup, the cheery melody features a trumpet, saxophone and mellotron riff in the transition from verse to chorus to sonically unite this dynamic tune.

“It’s An Act,” the eleventh track, is a gorgeous ballad that brings listeners down to earth for the album’s finale. McKenna simplifies many aspects of What Happened to the Beach?. The first three-and-a-half minutes consist only of McKenna’s sweetly sung lyrics atop more simplified instrumentals than what we’ve heard on this album so far. Acoustic guitar and scattered, twinkling piano notes dominate this portion of the track, allowing McKenna’s soft vocals to shine through. The final minute and a half of this song brings listeners back to the album’s thesis as McKenna repeats the heart-wrenching chorus through a pitched-up vocal filter before the instrumentals gently taper off. This gutting track’s somber, yet cheeky lyricism and stripped-down production make it undoubtedly one of the British powerhouse’s best songs to date. 

The album closes with the forty-five second track “4 More Years,” where the lyrics consist of the title repeated four times. The song was originally written as a response to England getting knocked out of the 2022 World Cup. The shakily sung lyrics and distorted instrumentals make it a perfect ending to this incredibly unique record, creating a cohesive, sonic journey from start to finish.

McKenna’s upcoming European tour will kick off later this month with his March 23rd show in Cardiff, United Kingdom. More information can be found on declanmckenna.net/events. Physical releases of What Happened to the Beach? contain four exclusive bonus tracks, which were not reviewed here. If you give this album a listen and like what you hear, pick up a physical copy for more synth-alien goodness!