After a brief break following the release of his third album, What Happened to the Beach? in February of this year, Declan McKenna has crashed back into the scene with a double release. You are probably reminded of the name Declan McKenna every summer when his most popular track ‘Brazil’ inevitably starts trending again; but new releases ‘Champagne’ and ‘That’s Life’ prove once again he is far from a one-hit wonder. 

Both songs deal with the reality and monotony of life, with McKenna stating in an interview with Dork magazine that they are ‘different in approach, [‘Champagne’] more grand and over the top, [‘That’s Life’] more cyclical and cynical.’ They each offer a unique sound, which equally contribute to his quintessential sound he has created over his career.  

‘Champagne’

‘Champagne’ acts as McKenna’s re-entrance into the music industry as an independent artist, with this release being the first from his new label Miniature Ponies, and what an impact it makes. He discusses the pressures and expectations of continuing what made you popular in the first place, and how the music industry can be impersonal and superficial. This is perfectly summed up in lines like ‘Of course I didn’t mean what I said  | I just wanted them to laugh’. It refreshingly bucks the recent trend of shorter pop songs, instead lasting over 5 minutes, and expertly blends indie and disco to make a constantly surprising upbeat song.

It drops into a choppy heavy bassline, built upon through synth and drums.

It immediately feels cinematic, opening with layered synth and a muffled announcement, before breaking this with a harpsichord. It drops into a choppy heavy bassline, built upon through synth and drums. The song quickly becomes unpredictable as it switches to a smoother sound, with McKenna’s vocalising used as an instrument and the drum beat quickening. As a listener, you can never tell whether we are switching to the verse, chorus or bridge, making it increasingly more fun to listen to. 

This irregular pattern is complemented perfectly by McKenna’s wobbly, raw vocals. Throughout the song they become stronger, with more and more power put into the pre-chorus. The outro becomes the stand out moment, through his punchy vocals stating ‘I’ll make a drama of it | I’ll lose my mind’, and the paired back guitar and drums accompaniment reminiscent of his debut album What Do You Think About The Car?. 

It would be a waste, however, to only listen to ‘Champagne’. McKenna’s music videos never disappoint, usually full of bizarre scenarios and out-there characters, and ‘Champagne’ is no exception. The music video has McKenna playing a hard done by waiter, constantly having to put up with unreasonable demands by the strange customers.

‘That’s Life’

Despite ‘Champagne’ being the theatrical star of the show, ‘That’s Life’ might just be my favourite of the two. It calls back to McKenna’s roots in indie pop, opening the track with an anticipating fast tempo piano and floaty vocals, before adding in a regular drum beat and thrumming bass. 

The beat is intentionally repeated throughout most of the song, barely changing beyond added synth and electric guitar, to reflect the lyrics. ‘That’s Life’ discusses the hopelessness that anything will ever change in his life and how the world around us makes it worse. He brings up the common issue of the older generation minimising the young’s problems, through lines like ‘they blame it on your teenage mind’, becoming a shared voice for all of us. He is continually pessimistic, with the repeated mantra ‘that’s life’ seeming more pointless every time. 

The edgy sound calls back to the glam rock influences present on his second album Zeros

During the bridge, his vocals are pushed to the background as the traditional indie pop sound is pushed aside momentarily. An electric guitar riff takes centre stage, disrupting the pattern we have come to expect and giving the song exactly what it needed to push it up to the next level. The edgy sound calls back to the glam rock influences present on his second album Zeros, as well as modern indie rock artists like Sam Fender and Inhaler. The song culminates in the outro, adding the electric guitar riff on top of the usual chorus beat, and in my opinion, certifies itself as an indie banger. 

Rating: 9/10

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