The fast emerging British artist, soon-to-be-22-year-old Declan McKenna, released Zeros on September 4th, 2020. This is his second full album, preceded by What Do You Think About the Car? in 2017. 

McKenna made his debut in 2015 with the release of the song “Brazil,” which protests the corruption in the world of soccer after the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014. This song is featured on his first album, written as a teenager. What Do You Think About the Car? is full of youthful ballads and indie-rock tracks that tackle important issues such as corruption, gun control, and LGBTQ+ issues among teenagers, just to name a few.

His most recent album, however, delves into his own struggles growing up rather than the ones in the world around him. Zeros features ten songs that explore the mind of the artist as the dust settled from his American tour. It is full of grim observations about the world and discoveries of inner truths, set to masterfully intricate music.

You Better Believe!!!

The album kicks off into high gear with a classic-rock inspired, high energy track, hence the triple exclamation marks. McKenna introduces a whole different view of the world in “You Better Believe!!!” filled with “rocket boots and lasers.” Despite the upbeat feel, the lyrics seem to “thrust [the listener] into this scary, destructive world,” as McKenna said to Radio X. The song winds down and ends on a minor chord–a stark contrast to the musicality of the rest of the track–but it leads directly into the next number.

Be An Astronaut

The seamless transition between the first and second tracks is also a transition between the starting point of the story and the background that led to it. It shows how a somewhat messed up childhood can affect one’s outlook of the world later in life. This power ballad is reminiscent of the work of the late David Bowie, who happens to have a song entitled “Zeroes.” Albeit a different spelling, the parallel certainly suggests that Bowie was a major influence on McKenna’s writing style. 

“Be An Astronaut” is all about not being able to fit into the goals that others had for McKenna as a child. 

“[I]t’s recalling something, recalling thoughts of a childhood, thoughts of growing up and experiencing hardships and experiencing grief,” McKenna told Apple Music. “It became quite central to giving the album its spaciness, or at least an aspiration to go to space. I think the album maybe exists in a world not far from our own, but definitely dreams of something bigger. And I think that the whole thing in ‘Be an Astronaut’ is that dreams can be damaging and can often be unattainable, and I think that’s the thing.”

This track in particular–as demonstrated by the powerful live video–highlights the skills of each of his band members who accompany him on tour, including Isabel Torres on guitar, Gabrielle King on drums, William Bishop on bass, and Nathan Cox on keyboards.

The Key to Life on Earth

“The Key to Life on Earth” was released early in April this year as a teaser to the upcoming album. A music video was released alongside it, featuring actor Alex Lawther, star of the show The End of the F***ing World. In the video, Lawther serves as a kind of conscience for McKenna, wrestling control from the singer by the end of the song. This psychedelic, ‘70s-inspired track claims that “the key to life on Earth” can be interpreted differently by every person, as no two human perspectives are exactly alike as a result of our unique backgrounds. Lyrically, the song shifts the album back into a “normal” space in the real world; in this case a small suburban town in Hertfordshire, England, a town that, despite its size, often has high tension due to the varying world views of its residents.

Beautiful Faces

McKenna released “Beautiful Faces” in January this year–the first single to be released from the album. To accompany the “Big Brother” theme of the track, McKenna released a music video, directed by Will Hooper, that is split between real-life footage and computer-generated images to emphasize the song’s message that the line between real life and social media can sometimes become blurred. McKenna and his band are performing the song in a small, utopian stage covered in clouds and soft colors. But throughout the video, spliced shots of computer generated images glitch in between real-life shots, and the CGI takes over in the end. It’s as if some higher being is watching over you and controlling your life. 

Daniel, You’re Still a Child

The name Daniel was previously mentioned at the beginning of “Be An Astronaut.” This next song is a continuation of this character’s story, as well as the story of the album. 

McKenna told Apple Music, “[It’s about] someone being pushed away and someone becoming lost or being thought to be something they’re not… I guess this is understanding what’s behind the human being and what is behind their actions.”

Zeros is really the story of this Daniel character. McKenna wanted the stories to be relatable to the listeners in some way, so to keep it grounded and not floating off into outer space, he centers the major themes of each song around a single person. However, that person who is being looked down upon by the world for no reason is getting lost in his mind and losing sight of reality. 

“[It’s] where people keep [getting] pushed into dark corners of the internet… There’s so many different places for people to go if they’re pushed away and without someone to understand and listen to them, people do become lost and people do become isolated because the world isn’t designed for everyone,” McKenna said in an interview with Radio X.

Emily

Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckingham were two inspirations behind the writing of “Emily.” This track is a personal element on the record–more focused on McKenna himself than a character. It is somewhat of a conversation between McKenna and this Emily character that becomes progressively toxic, proving that a feeling of isolation even from the ones closest to you is completely real and scary but valid.

Twice Your Size

“No matter how loudly you talk… there is often a central truth to be found,” McKenna said about this ‘70s stomp style track. “I’m talking about the environment a lot in this song and I guess my concern is that things will get destroyed regardless of… there’s nothing nice that you can say to change that.”

Another reference to technology and social media, the songs finds McKenna fearing that the “influencers,” who just want views, clicks, and likes, will overpower the voices of those who actually know what they are talking about and have possible solutions. The destructiveness discussed throughout the album leads to this point of no return, so to speak, just like the point at which we currently are in our world’s environmental health.

Rapture

The next song fittingly dramatizes what could happen if we ignore those environmental concerns, or if we delve too deep into conspiracy theories and doomsday messages and create a rapture in our own heads. The brilliant music video that accompanies this song depicts McKenna running through a neighborhood surrounded by peculiarly dressed neighbors who are either terrified doomsday preachers or those who have accepted their fate and are trying to make their final moments fun. It’s an anxiety-inducing array of emotions set to a headbanging jam.

Sagittarius A*

Sagittarius A* (or Sagittarius A-Star) is a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Preceded by climate change and a judgment day, “Sagittarius A*” is the next logical place for McKenna’s story to go. It’s as if he is saying, “If I’m going down, I’m dragging you down with me.” It’s the final point where beauty turns into destruction.

Eventually, Darling

A key line to the concluding song on Zeros is “Everyone leaves eventually, darling. Don’t be afraid.” After all of the destruction, isolation, pain, and beauty, everything must come to an end. Ironically, this was the first song that McKenna decided would be on the album. The wide varieties of musical styles displayed on the album come full circle with a classic rock feel followed by a soft ending. The conclusion of this musically and philosophically intense and brilliant record will challenge the listener not to cue up the first track once more and begin the journey anew.