Album Review: Declan McKenna, What Happened To The Beach?

Listening to What Happened To The Beach? is similar to twisting the dial on your old AM/FM radio, or clicking through an eclectic Spotify playlist, as Declan McKenna rushes through music genres at a madcap speed, all performed with brilliant mastery.

Right off the bat, opener ‘Wobble’ lets you know that stuff is going to get weird, but good weird – McKenna offering more variety than most artists do across an entire record. Indeed, there are flashes of 1920s flapper dance, Sparks-style psychedelia, lo-fi slacker indie, avant-jazz and whatever you’re having yourself –  all sounding marvellous.

But let’s try and provide some more specific coordinates. ‘Elevator Hum’ possesses a mighty groove – as ethereal as Real Estate, as melodic and über-cool as Vampire Weekend. ‘I Write The News’ would not appear out of place in a stack of George Harrison demos, before morphing into Odelay-era Beck. Lead single ‘Sympathy’ mixes ’80s-style TV theme music with glam.

‘Mullholland’s Dinner And Wine’ is a tasty slice of ’90s space-rock – think Flaming Lips or Mercury Rev and you’re in the ballpark.

‘Nothing Works’ recalls 13-era Blur, while ‘The Phantom Buzz’ traffics in noughties indie-pop, and lo-fi/music hall hybrid ‘It’s An Act’ proves McKenna can pretty much put his hand to anything.

Topping it all, closer ‘Four More Years’ double downs on that sentiment, with a wonderfully wacky Bowie/Velvet Underground coda.

8/10

What Happened To The Beach? is out now – listen or order here.

Declan McKenna plays 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on April 2 & 3.