Zeros. Declan McKenna

The moment this album starts playing it is clear to me that this can't go wrong. Declan McKenna finds the right combination between fun and seriousness, between pop and rock in the best Britpop tradition. The brazenness of 'You Better Believe!!!' is not prevalent because of the no less than three exclamation marks at the end but because of the music itself. In the best Supergrass tradition McKenna shares the first song of his new album Zeros with the world.

Now I had never heard of Declan McKenna before, so let's take a look first. McKenna is 21 years old, releasing records since 2014. Zeros is his second LP. My comparison to Supergrass wasn't such a  strange one after all, seeing how young he is and Gaz Coombes was in 1995. Zeros was recorded in Nashville, escaping the daily life and pressures in London, his hometown. Another distinctive feature to his music is that he is seen as a protest singer, following topics he sang about ranging form the World Cup in Brazil, to British foreign policy.

From what I read so far I can glean that Declan McKenna is seen as a major talent in music. So what are my ears telling me during the introductory spins of Zeros?

That answer will be somewhat mixed as not all songs are that strong. From that moment on I can do two things, discard the whole album or focus on its strengths and I decided to choose the latter option.

The reason to do so is not hard to explain. McKenna always goes for a melodic option, always finds a pop way to express himself, without going for the easiest option. The fact that I can hear influences ranging from Supergrass to Ray Davies, Ron Sexsmith, David Bowie and many others, shows how this young man is able to incorporate big names into his own work and make it very much his own. A tell-tale sign of his talents. This richness comes forward for example in the great song 'Be An Astronaut'. This song holds so much it's almost astonishing.

Another factor is that I never know for certain how a song will go or end. There are some surprises here and they can taking a song in a totally different direction, making the record feel so much more vibrant and alive. This begins with the totally confident opening of the album. The extremely busy drum roll kicks off a song that is there to conquer, not to amuse only. Loosely based on 'Late In The Day' and another song I can't get my finger behind, it shows Declan McKenna's pop feel as well.

And that pop feel saves most songs on Zeros. Even the songs I do not much care for at start, always have elements that change them and make them interesting. Whether the vocal melody, an added instrument or something else, there's simply happening such a lot on Zeros. You need both ears to keep up.

It may be that this young singer-songwriter is at the top of his game, there's no telling today, but chances are he will develop himself further over the coming years. This is his second album and in my ear it is as exciting as Jake Bugg's second album. There ought to be a lot of nice things coming our way later on in the 20s. Declan McKenna deserves to become a household name with the fame coming with it. Zeros is not a perfect album (in sound 100%) but one showing a lot of promise.

Wo.


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