Zeros was probably my most anticipated album release this year, mostly due to its ever changing release date, thanks to COVID-19. I had only come to start listening to any Declan Mckenna's music this year, when I heard his most widely recognised single, 'Brazil' being used all over TikTok.
I then went onto listening to Mckenna's entire debut album 'What do you think about the car?', watched the music videos, followed all of his social medias, and watched a lot of interviews. This sudden interest was no accident, but a credit to Declan's writing skills. His music pulls you in with catchy upbeat tunes, whilst using lyrics that are intriguing and poetic, in a way that made me want to look further into them for the meaning. It is a feat for someone so young, (especially considering he wrote Brazil aged 16) to write so well and thoughtfully about, often, political and complex situations. For me, in terms of his writing skills, he falls into the same category for me as artists such as Hozier and Florence and the Machine (two of my favourites.) They all explore similar themes, although use different analogies and melodies to get the point across - it is their ability to write in a way that lends itself to multiple listens that compels me.
Mckenna's music became my soundtrack to the first half of the year, and followed me as I made huge life changes, through my successes and obstacles. I started the year by excitedly moving out of my parents home to a flat in a big city, (I listened to 'The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home' as I unpacked) I got a job I was excited about ('Make Me Your Queen' followed my walk to work everyday), I felt like a proper adult (Queue 'Humongous').... Then coronavirus hit, I lost my job (Why Do You Feel So Down?) and I struggled with some of the hardest times of my life (Listen To Your Friends). There's something about music that can always put things into perspective and help you get through things. A song has literally saved my life before and I know I am not the only person to experience this. So now, with all this deep personal connection to his first album, how would his second album hold up, in my eyes?
Last night, Mckenna released his second album, titled Zeros and already I can tell this record will become part of my soundtrack for the rest of the year. The record as a whole feels both entirely unique in sound, as well as beautifully nostalgic. You can hear influences throughout from greats like David Bowie, Elton John and The Beatles, as well as a feeling similar in tone to a lot of music I grew up with, like The Fratellis, The Killers and MGMT.
Each song has its strengths individually and explore different sounds, but there's an overarching theme throughout, that wasn't necessarily there in the first album, that ties everything together and creates a real coherency within the record.
Songs that stand out to me right now, include 'Be and Astronaut', 'Rapture' and 'Eventually, Darling', I can already feel myself feeling nostalgic for things that haven't even happened yet. Mckenna is a great representation, through the themes and sounds he explores, as well as how he expresses himself through fashion and on social media (including the way I discovered him through TikTok), of the Gen Z experience, and I think that is something that has been missing in music lately. He covers topics, throughout his entire discography, talking about issues directly facing young people and how we are navigating the world passed down to us by the generation above. He covers issues of sexual and gender identity, climate change and social media, amongst other things, that really bring to light the discontent today's youth feel and the struggles unique to our generation. Zeros really zeros in on our experience with these issues, using space and futuristic themes to reflect on them. Although Mckenna refuses to label himself as a political musician, it is impossible to miss the political angle of his music. However, it could be argued, that in a world where every aspect of our lives is political, it would be almost inauthentic for anyone to write apolitical music.
I honestly will probably not stop listening to this album on repeat for a few weeks, I am super excited to see the songs live next year (fingers crossed COVID doesn't cancel everything!)
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