British singer-songwriter Declan McKenna has recently released his third album, “What Happened To The Beach?” The 12-track album examines the issue of creative burnout and centres on McKenna finding joy in his unique music style. At 25 years old, the songwriter is allocating his time to refining his musical sound and embracing his creative freedom, as opposed to upstaging prior success. He reflects on his near-decade of experience in the music industry in the song “Nothing Works,” stating “What’s the point of running? Not like I’m ‘up-and-coming’ anymore.” The album marks a notable deviation from his previous LP, “Zeros,” which explored various ideas in a fictional dystopian world, making “What Happened To The Beach?” a journey towards personal reconciliation and growth.
McKenna credits his closest collaborators, including Eli Smart, CMAT, and producer Gianluca Buccellati, for supporting him through the album’s production process in this NME interview. He stated that he values a sense of community with other musicians above all else, and that the musical freedom from his colleagues allowed him to explore new sounds. He says “this whole process has been based around finding new ways to figure recording out, and it has been quite empowering.” The resulting tracks pay homage to the enthusiastic spirit of Beck’s “Colors” and the playful nature of Paul McCartney’s “Ram” as the album vibrates with a joyful aesthetic.
Additionally, McKenna offered insight throughout the interview on his cover of ABBA’s “Slipping Through My Fingers,” which was released as part of a campaign for Christmas number one. He performed an acoustic rendition of the cover as people kept asking for it after streaming his performance previously. He also expressed that his love for an artist/band’s music was influenced by how good their live performances are. He mentioned that Paul McCartney’s Glastonbury set was unexpected, with McCartney playing hit songs and some that weren’t famous; similar to the element of “Ram” that people initially didn’t like.
McKenna’s latest album is marked by his exploration of burnout as a source of creative renewal. He celebrates being at a point in his career where he is confident in his music style and does not feel the pressure to outdo his prior successes. Instead, he is focusing on refining his underlying sound composition. McKenna’s latest creative journey follows a break he took from work, which led him to move to Brighton and embark on a path with a more relaxed musical approach
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