Declan McKenna - What Happened to the Beach?

Tomplicated

Mckenna's world of (p)opulence once again opens up, and from its porous disposition a nacreous oil spills - a glistening, disco-ball-like gloop.

Obtuse pop numbers - as the album moves forwards - slowly morph into more 'standard' pop-y tunes. From outer space to mother earth, although the results are still often times 'out there'. Warped by sunshine. Exposed to heat just above a comfortable threshold. Giddy and restless - a psychedelically tinted vision ascends forth. Unable to sit still. In search of a cool breeze. A breath of air to drink down. These lungs have been way above lukewarm since day one. The colour begins to drip. Life becomes a bit bendy and uncertain. Unpredictable. What awaits around the corner is bound to be exciting. Catching the drift and setting sail on a stream of consciousness. Sunglasses hide the surprised eyes. Invisible, for now.

Mckenna's got that sixth sense when it comes to melody. The knack for an earworm; a feel for offset sounds. Making songs out of these innate instincts is still hard work. In a world where songs are the name of the game, obscurity requires a solid reason to exist. Strange for the sake of it isn't really necessary. Strange with a tied-to-reality-twist? That's where it's at. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Sounds are no different.

Mckenna can do the straight-forward, and also the strange. It's a space where most creators get caught out - pleasing both ends tends to dilute the product.

The offspring of Alex Turner, David Bowie and Peter Gabriel, the potential for uncannily grandiose pieces of pop is, and was, always there.

Wait for the tide to appear.