In the near-decade since he emerged as a fresh-faced songwriting prodigy with his iconic debut single '
Brazil',
Declan McKenna has continued to evolve at a staggering pace to become one of the most dynamic and creative pop artists around. His debut '
What Do You Think About The Car?' was his incendiary and socially and politically charged opening statement, while 2020's '
Zeros' was a dizzying collection of ambitious and theatrical art-pop that aimed firmly for the stars in its spacey sense of exploration. In 2024, Dec is firmly established and beautifully at peace with himself and his artistry, and he's eager to explore all of his weird and wonderful musical flights of fancy on the evocative, surreal sonic dreamscapes of '
What Happened To The Beach?'.
It's immediately clear this is a different kind of Declan album. It's still rooted in his whipsmart song songwriting and lyrical wordplay but is instead working from a more varied and textured sonic palette encompassing found sounds, lo-fi weird electronics and subtle glitches, bloops, beeps and crackles to give it a very distinct vibe in his discography. The woozy, beatific glitch pop of opening track '
Wobble' is an alluring entry point into an album to really immerse yourself in.
