‘What Do You Think About the Car?’ - Declan McKenna Review

Released on 21 July 2017, ‘What Do You Think About the Car?’ (WDYTATC?) is the debut studio indie-rock album of singer-songwriter, Declan McKenna. Born on Christmas Eve, 1998, Declan initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. His music deals with politics, youth, and the problems that his generation experiences. His most popular single, ‘Brazil’, criticised FIFA and the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, delivering a strong message about the nature of money and power in sports.

The album gives me a nostalgic 90s vibe, with its introductory soundbite from a home video of Declan as a child, and the retro guitar sounds. The vocals stay in a fairly comfortable range throughout the album, but Declan’s voice carries great meaning, delivering the message of each song effectively.

‘Humongous’ is the first song in the album, and is one of my favourite tracks. It talks of feeling lost and alone in a raw and honest way, without dragging the song down into the realms of the melancholy. This juxtaposition of upbeat music and sorrowful lyrics creates a work of art, perhaps with the message that you should look for the positives whenever life gets you down. The lyrics contain their own contradictions, with McKenna asserting that he is “big, humongous, enormous and small”, possibly a comment on how fame can be empty and lonely, no matter how big a star you become.

The next song is the aforementioned ‘Brazil’. One of the catchiest tunes I’ve ever heard, this song deals with serious political content with another lively soundtrack. The lyrics are quite ambiguous, full of the sort of figurative language that is often preferable when dealing with controversial subject matter. Clever lines such as “he’s got eyes, but he can’t see” show maturity and wisdom, and the fact that Declan wrote his song in his early teams makes this a very impressive single.

Next on the album is ‘The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home’. This song deals with how modern society is raising children, and especially criticises America for “teaching them how to aim” and encouraging gun culture. The first verse highlights how lost and confused young people can feel in this world, and the chorus affirms how bad parenting can cause a rift between children and their parents, causing the kids to not “wanna come home”. Again, it is lively song with the same retro guitar sounds.

‘Mind’ is a slower, more melancholy song. It has a great guitar riff during the chorus. The lyrics are quite obscure, so I don’t really know what this song is about, but give it a listen and see what interpretation you make out of it. There’s a definite theme of loneliness throughout, which is also portrayed through the pining guitar riff. Again, serious retro vibes to all of it.

‘Make Me Your Queen’ follows. This song sees McKenna entering his head voice as he takes on his upper vocal range during the chorus. The chord strumming throughout the song gives it more of an authentic, romantic vibe, matching the romantic song matter. The song deals with unrequited love, and how the singer battles between the mind-sets of “I know that I mean nothing to you” and “I can’t help but think that I might maybe not mean nothing to you”. The chorus flips gender roles and standards of masculinity, with Declan pleading “make me your queen”. In short, this is a catchy tune revolving around a relatable subject, filled with emotion. It’s more refined than some of his other songs, and this is reflected in the stripped back music video which presents Declan in a more raw and serious state.

‘Isombard’ is a song that you may have heard if you’ve ever played the FIFA 2016 videogame, as it features as part of the soundtrack. This song is wonderful in many ways. It is unique, catchy, and the lyrics are clever. The lyrics are written in the persona of a right-wing politician stumbling over his words. What is supposed to be the Martin Luther quote, "If we can't run then we will walk, if we can't walk then we will crawl", turns into the strange chorus “If you can’t walk then run”. But this misspoken phrase actually brings a newfound depth to the words. The message that I take from the chorus is that if you cannot walk upright in this world then run free and be the individual that you were born to become.

The next song, called ‘I Am Everyone Else’ speaks to me about individuality, or rather, a lack of it. It seems to suggest that even though we all think that we’re different, underneath we are largely the same. We all have similar struggles and we all get fed up with the same things. Things like feeling lonely and getting sick of your friends. There’s another good riff in this song around the chorus, but overall I don’t find the music as catchy. It’s certainly not my favourite song on the album.

‘Bethlehem’ is the eighth song in the album and is a criticism of Abrahamic religions and their attitudes towards love and sin. The song is pretty groovy and the chords carry the same retro sound. Again, McKenna slips into a persona in order to deliver the lyrical meaning. He acts as a religious speaker who claims to be “heaven-sent”, and as such, states “I can do what I want and you don’t have the right to choose”.

In the next song, ‘Why Do You Feel So Down?’, the lyrics are pretty simple and self-explanatory. The music gives the song a level of comedy, as it is upbeat, dance-style music. The song itself is catchy, but my favourite thing about it is the accompanying music video, which features a smiling McKenna wearing old-fashioned aerobics shorts, following an exercise routine with his pasty legs out. It’s a rather hilarious video, and only serves to accentuate the polarity between the depressing lyrics and the upbeat music.

‘Paracetamol’ has a slower and steadier pace than the other songs. It is his most serious song, as it was written after learning about the suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn and the media's representation of LGBT communities in general. The lyrics are neither detailed nor to the point, but along with the music video, his message becomes far clearer. Written “from the perspective of this ambiguous authoritative figure, talking about somebody they are oppressing, in a sort of disconnected tabloid speak” (Declan’s words), the lyrics present the ignorance and assuming attitudes of the media. It is a decent song, but I find the switching narratives and ambiguous lyrics quite confusing.

The final track, ‘Listen to Your Friends’ is another piercing social commentary, targeting politics, poverty, welfare, and the Conservative government(s). Half singing and half spoken word, the lyrics show high levels of maturity and intelligence. The song isn’t very catchy as such, but that isn’t its purpose. Its purpose is to be more informative and cathartic than a chart-topping pop hit. As such, it is more slow paced and melancholy, and lacks a strong hook. But I certainly appreciate the lyrics.

Overall, I think it is pretty obvious that ‘WDYTATC?’ is absolutely Apollo Approved. Sharp social commentary paired with catchy, adventurous melodies makes this an incredible debut album for a young artist who should not be forgotten anytime soon. I cannot wait for the next album.