Song Review: Nothing Works by Declan Mckenna
Alternate cover for “Nothing Works” @thedeclanmckenna on Instagram 2023
Last month, indie rock musician, Declan McKenna, released his second single “Nothing Works” for his long-awaited third studio album “What Happened To The Beach?” which was announced the day the song hit streaming platforms worldwide. His lead single for the album, “Sympathy”, was released last July. On the first listen, “Nothing Works” differs from “Sympathy”, leaving the overall genre and theme of this upcoming album a mystery. This is not the first time fans have witnessed this; McKenna has a reputation for experimenting with his musical style, as seen throughout his short, yet rich discography.
You may already know the British singer through “Brazil”, a protest song McKenna wrote at age sixteen criticizing FIFA for awarding the 2014 World Cup to Brazil with failure to acknowledge the poverty of its citizens due to the 2014 Brazilian economic crisis. “Brazil” was released as his debut single on YouTube in 2014, and with significant demand, again on streaming platforms in 2015. That following summer, he won Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition, gaining international recognition and success. With the current resurgence of “Brazil” on social media platforms, McKenna remains a name known around the globe. The song also served as his lead single for his debut album “What Do You Think About The Car?” an indie rock album released in 2017 with tracks that focus mainly on political and societal issues. Following its release, he was dubbed “the voice of his generation” as a result of using music and his fame to speak out and protest on current issues. After a few years, he released his glam rock sophomore album “Zeros” in late 2020, following several delays due to the pandemic. “Zeros” contains themes of love and space with several piano-driven tunes accompanied by heavy distortion of vocals and electric guitar.
Declan McKenna on tour promoting “Zeros” @cultaey on VSCO 2022
This time, McKenna takes an electronic approach, with deep synths, a catchy beat and vocal layering. “Nothing Works” tells the story of the pressures and struggles of changing styles as a musician in the entertainment industry. It is common for artists to keep the style that they broke through with in order to meet the expectations of their audience and record label. In McKenna’s case, he writes music for himself while exploring different techniques and features in the studio, rather than to please others. He expresses this in “Nothing Works”, with lyrics “What’s the point runnin’? / Not like I'm up-and-comin' anymore”
McKenna reflects on his days as a rising star and feeling the need to use his music to compete with others on global charts. Years later, now that he is no longer “up-and-comin’”, he doesn’t feel as pressured to create new music. On his new single, he often references another song of his: “So what if they hear me singin' "I love war"? / I'm sure they're big enough now” “I love war” is a reference to McKenna’s 2019 single “British Bombs”, another protest song that criticizes Great Britain for, in his words, “being at war all the time”, their foreign policies, and simply not being so “great”. McKenna’s label, Columbia Records, feared that the song would deliver the wrong message, therefore prohibiting its release for the sake of his image. He argued that he doesn’t have control over how his fans interpret his lyrics and that, although young like himself, they are mature enough to understand what he is saying. McKenna follows this lyric with: “But, of course, I'll re-implore you / On the kind of nation that we have” suggesting that nothing has changed with Britain since he released “British Bombs” four years ago.
As somebody who has been a fan of Declan McKenna and his music for the last four years, I’m happy to say that I have witnessed him change and grow as an artist. His style varies between his albums, EPs and singles, and I personally appreciate diversity in an artist’s discography. It shows that they are not shy to experiment with their sound. Otherwise, it can become boring when you know what to expect every time, but never with Declan McKenna; always expect the unexpected with this indie British singer. I rate “Nothing Works” by Declan McKenna an 8.5/10. I love this song, it has been on repeat since its release and I cannot get enough of it. It certainly is distinct from everything else that he has released, however this song, along with “Sympathy”, has me beyond excited to see what the album has to offer.
Works Cited
"British Bombs." Genius, Genius Holdings, 19 Aug. 2019, genius.com/Declan-mckenna-british-bombs-lyrics. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
"Nothing Works." Genius, Genius Holdings, 13 Sept. 2023, genius.com/29382937? Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
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