Declan McKenna - Zeros ALBUM REVIEW

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Declan McKenna has always been an artist I’ve enjoyed, but only kind of. I liked his debut album, What Do You Think of the Car?, but I felt like it could be a whole lot more. The person that introduced me to McKenna and his music is OBSESSED with him, but you know, that’s a lot of different people into music these days. So, rightfully so, I had decided to look into his much-delayed second album Zeros. I hadn’t heard any of the singles before this, so this is a whole new listen for me! I got nothing else, let’s just get right into Declan McKenna’s newest album, Zeros.

Zeros is a glam rock album with pop and indie undertones. Now, I had no idea what to expect from this album. I thought his debut album was a pretty cool pop-rock/indie album, but I really didn’t think about it too much. Damn, Zeros is an ambitious album. This is essentially a mix between Elton John and David Bowie that I’m totally loving! Throughout each track, he is just oozing with charisma and swagger unlike anything I’ve heard from any genre in recent memory. “Twice Your Size” just might be my favorite rock song of the year so far because of how detailed the instrumental sounds and just how infectious the melodies are. It’s like Declan is trying his interpretation of an MGMT song, and it works perfectly. I could say the same thing with “Emily,” which sounds like a “Yellow”-era Coldplay track until it morphs into a Vampire Weekend-style ballad. Then, it seals the deal with a sound like it’s coming straight from The Muppet Show. You can’t mention this album without praising “The Key to Life on Earth,” a beautiful song about the human condition and how we treat each other. I honestly can’t believe that this is the same artist that wrote “Brasil,” it’s kinda crazy. For some odd reason, the closing track “Eventually, Darling” reminds me of the closing song from the video game Portal 2. I hate that I can’t remember what that song’s called, but it’s a very positive comparison.

I’m completely speechless right now. Declan McKenna has really got something going here, and maybe I just didn’t catch it on his debut album. Zeros is genre-altering for pop-rock. It’s fun, catchy as hell, and most of all, Declan is on top of his game. He knows how to make a great song. This is by far my favorite rock album this year so far, and if Declan puts out another record this good in the future, we might have a true game-changer on our hands.


9/10


Stream Zeros here

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