Reminiscent of an old friend you haven’t seen in a few years, Declan McKenna’s “What Happened to the Beach?” represents a far more mature tone for the alternative-indie artist.
Focusing on introspection rather than McKenna’s signature sociopolitical commentary, the album can be a disheveled wave of synth sounds and self-analysis.
However, as the record comes to a close, it perfectly encapsulates McKenna’s mindset at this critical point in his career, pushing forward a single question to his listeners: What happened?
The album’s opening song “Wobble” can be a jolting experience for long-time McKenna listeners. Introducing a mellow sound commonly found throughout the record, “Wobble” is the personification of floating through a lonely lazy river.
Yet, even with the new style, the song perfectly works as the opening track, summing up McKenna’s thesis for the album with the lyrics, “We wobble to the beach / Cause life’s really changing / Laugh about the blue and grey / What’s it say, what’s it not say?”
McKenna is currently at a stage in his career where he balances between hanging on to the threads of the indie scene and completely submerging himself in stardom, especially after several of his songs, including “Brazil,” have gone viral on TikTok.
The second song on the album, “Elevator Hum,” continues pumping out synth beats yet decides to tell a much more personal tale in its lyrics.
“Listen to the elevator hum/ The mechanism is breaking down again / Don’t you tell my mum.”
While the song can be perceived as a continuation of “Wobble”’s message about the effects of stardom, many of its lyrics discuss the pressures of toxic masculinity and how men fail to relate to others about the topic.
“I Write the News” is one of the most isolated tracks on the record. Returning to his roots the song focuses on how UK politics have boxed citizens into an inescapable cycle, citing it as a common reason for drug use in the nation.
While “Wobble” and “Elevator Hum” are well-written songs, “I Write the News” allows McKenna to write in his lyrical element.
“I know you can’t make sense of my southern views / Yes, London prices may seem stiff / But they’ll roll you a spliff so you can’t refuse.”
The song also leaves behind the album’s synth-filled sound, featuring an acoustic guitar and a smoky vocal performance from McKenna, pulling from Beatles’ songs “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” and “Blackbird.”
Sadly, a handful of songs including “Honest Test,” “Sympathy” and “Breath of Light” cannot materialize, focusing on their style far more than their substance.
“Sympathy” is a song you would hear while shopping at Target, while “Honest Test”’s soundwaves are something you would find on a Twenty One Pilots mixtape — two ideas that aren’t usually associated with Declan McKenna.
“Breath of Light” is one of the album’s most interesting tracks, with a soundscape that could be considered the high cousin of Harry Styles’ “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.”
The lyrics have a few bright moments of brilliance, but overall, they feel like a jumble of undecided ideas smooshed together.
The album peaks with its seventh track “Nothing Works,” a perfect sister piece to “Wobble.”
Of the 12 songs on the record, “Nothing Works” is the only one that sounds straight out of McKenna’s classic discography. This may seem like a negative connotation at first, but in reality, it’s one aspect of the entire album.
The lyrics “What’s the point of running? / Not like I’m up and coming / So what if they hear me on my bathroom floor? / I’m sure they’re big enough now” represent the journey that McKenna worries his career will soon lead to. It’s the only song that features the comfortable nostalgia of McKenna’s electric guitar and intoxicating bass, yet it reads as a terrified cry to those who can’t let McKenna escape the confines that made him.
As the song hellishly sprints to its finale, it becomes distorted, overwhelming and indistinguishable. In the final few seconds, its sound transforms into that of a rarely played jukebox in a forgotten diner, letting us in on McKenna’s deepest fear.
On a first listen, “What Happened to the Beach?” is incohesive and unconfident, yet with time, its pieces fall into place, becoming a catchy, synth-infested album with rather chilling ideas.
It may feature a few forgettable tracks, but McKenna’s third album will age gracefully, cementing itself as the singer’s most polarizing, artistically rich venture yet.