‘What Happened To The Beach?’ asks Declan McKenna, introducing his third full-length studio album with some of his proudest singles

Words by Matt Keenan 

Do you remember when you were younger, and perhaps awkward and not confident, and your voice cracked, and you were worried about what others thought? Now think of where you are now, maybe you're a few years older, don’t really care what others think, maybe you’re happy and hopefully confident. Maybe this doesn't apply to you because you’re currently awkward and in high school, or this is just a poor opener I chose to write. Either way, the tantalizing tale of growing up is one that singer-songwriter Declan McKenna has lived earnestly. Declan McKenna is an example artist who has grown comfortably into their own, making a name for himself in the last few years, and continuing to expand confidently into the artist he wants to be. When thinking of how certain artists have changed from their debut to the next record they release, and then again to their third, I think nobody embodies such a change more than Declan does. 

I remember a few years ago when I was in high school, Declan McKenna came to perform at school in our auditorium. He played a couple of songs acoustic and nobody really knew who he was at the time (including myself). I now know those were songs from his debut record What Do You Think About The Car?. It’s a little crazy to me that at the time he played in my little high school in New Jersey, he was 18, and these songs were off his major label debut. My experience with Declan McKenna would continue very uneventfully, I hadn't listened to him for a few years following that time but I noticed slowly more and more of my friends were picking up on him. 

I would later pick up on Declan myself around the time I had graduated high school in 2019, I remember it was a little bit before he announced his second album Zeros, and I absolutely loved it. I listened to tracks like “Humongous,” “The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home,” and “Make Me Your Queen,” and thought to myself these stood out from your commonplace indie earworms. Declan writes atypical, layered, and playfully young songs on his debut record. The songs on the record that would follow Zeros were a refreshing change of pace from the things that made Declan stick out in the first place. They also managed to advance him as an artist, and as a person providing new sounds with a focused songwriting approach including synthesizers, a more spacey group of sounds and more of a “themed” record than what was provided by his debut. 

Here we are, seven years after the release of Declan’s major label debut to the world, and with an older Declan McKenna as well (even though 25 is not old, it just happens to be a greater number than 18). What Happened To The Beach?, the third LP to add to his discography, has now arrived, being preceded by singles “Sympathy,” “Nothing Works,” and “Mulhollands Dinner and Wine.” The new record touts a thumping heart bolstered by rhythmically sound drums and bass, layered almost airy vocals, and a whole lot more to fall in love with from McKenna. 

Speaking on the record in a press release, McKenna says, “Any time I tried to be too serious, the songs would get too heavy and the thing I was trying to get at, this idea of a release, was weighed down.” “The songs sound a lot like the music I listen to,” he shared.

He continued: “If every song features a lyrical statement, then it loses some of its impact, too. I haven’t let go of that aspect of myself, but I don’t want to live out that style forever.” Adding: “It was the first time I’d been able to open up and unload. It helped me deal with the pressures of making music and mature as a person.”

You can check out the latest album from Declan McKenna, What Happened To The Beach?, below and on all streaming platforms now!