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Less pressure and more fun: this was Declan McKenna’s mindset for the conception of this album, four years after Zeros. Produced by Gianluca Buccellati (Lana del Rey, Paris, Texas) and guided by the British singer’s Californian experiences, at first glance, What Happened to the Beach? is a sunny record, in which collages/experimentations effortlessly mesh with catchy pop melodies. And as the lyrics of Mulholland’s Dinner prove, Declan McKenna’s marriage of California and the United Kingdom raises an entity that’s completely psychedelic, seductive and monstrous all at once. We’re not far off from the definition of Baudelaire’s ‘beautiful bizarre’. “Sympathy” sounds like postmodern Britpop, whereas “Breath of Light” renews the exotica style. Throughout, we find lyrics that mix lightheartedness with the political. Might we be reminded that “Brazil,” McKenna’s first song (composed at just 16 years old), denounced FIFA’s practices and their disastrous consequences on the poorest fringes of the Brazilian population. “WOBBLE” is certainly the strongest track on the album, politically speaking. On it, McKenna describes, in his own way, the social and ecological changes that are rattling our time. Although McKenna strives for originality in a way that can sometimes be a bit too systematic, with What Happened to the Beach?, he’s conceived an undeniably brilliant opus. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz
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David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Neil Comber, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums - Jason Boesel, Percussion - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer - Eli Smart, Bass - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar, Penny Whistle, Synthesizer, Autoharp, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums, Programmer, Bass, Synthesizer - Jules Apollinaire, Assistant Producer, Programmer - Eli Smart, AssociatedPerformer - Allie Kelly, Background Vocal - Laura Jennings, Background Vocal
(P) 2023 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - William Bishop, Composer, Lyricist, Programmer, AdditionalStudioProducer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Programmer, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Synthesizer - Eli Smart, Background Vocal - Allie Kelly, Background Vocal - Allie Buckley, Background Vocal - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Josh McClorey, Percussion, Vocal - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, Autoharp, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Jules Apollinaire, Engineer, Percussion - Eli Smart, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Quinn, Percussion, Vocal - Connor Price, Percussion, Vocal - Henry Pearce, Flute, Percussion, Vocal - Laura Jennings, Percussion, Vocal
(P) 2023 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Jason Boesel, Percussion - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar, Penny Whistle, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Percussion, Programmer, Bass, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Eli Smart, Bass - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Josh McClorey, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Balafon, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Synthesizer - Lukas Kuprecht, Drums - Jake Passmore, Composer, Lyricist, Guitar, Percussion, Synthesizer, Background Vocal - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Josh McClorey, Percussion, Background Vocal - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums, Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums - Charlie Leake, Assistant Engineer - Jules Apollinaire, Assistant Producer - Conor Price, Percussion, Background Vocal - Ben Quinn, Percussion, Background Vocal - Jake Passmore, Guitar, Vocal - Henry Pearce, Percussion, Background Vocal - Laura Jennings, Percussion, Background Vocal - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Chris Berry, Drums - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Jason Boesel, Drums - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Percussion, Programmer, Xylophone, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Piano, Programmer, Bass, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Lukas Kuprecht, Drums - Eli Smart, Guitar - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Chris Berry, Drums - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - William Bishop, Composer, Lyricist - Brad Simpson, Composer, Lyricist - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Organ, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Percussion, Trumpet, Synthesizer - Allie Kelly, Background Vocal - Allie Buckley, Composer, Lyricist - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Ollie Brown, Assistant Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Simon Oscroft, Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Drums, Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Trumpet, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Thomas Wolseley, Assistant Engineer
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
David Wrench, Mixing Engineer - Heba Kadry, Mastering Engineer - Declan McKenna, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Gianluca Buccellati, Background Vocal - Jules Apollinaire, Producer, Background Vocal
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Album review
Less pressure and more fun: this was Declan McKenna’s mindset for the conception of this album, four years after Zeros. Produced by Gianluca Buccellati (Lana del Rey, Paris, Texas) and guided by the British singer’s Californian experiences, at first glance, What Happened to the Beach? is a sunny record, in which collages/experimentations effortlessly mesh with catchy pop melodies. And as the lyrics of Mulholland’s Dinner prove, Declan McKenna’s marriage of California and the United Kingdom raises an entity that’s completely psychedelic, seductive and monstrous all at once. We’re not far off from the definition of Baudelaire’s ‘beautiful bizarre’. “Sympathy” sounds like postmodern Britpop, whereas “Breath of Light” renews the exotica style. Throughout, we find lyrics that mix lightheartedness with the political. Might we be reminded that “Brazil,” McKenna’s first song (composed at just 16 years old), denounced FIFA’s practices and their disastrous consequences on the poorest fringes of the Brazilian population. “WOBBLE” is certainly the strongest track on the album, politically speaking. On it, McKenna describes, in his own way, the social and ecological changes that are rattling our time. Although McKenna strives for originality in a way that can sometimes be a bit too systematic, with What Happened to the Beach?, he’s conceived an undeniably brilliant opus. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:39:35
- Main artists: Declan McKenna
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Columbia
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
(P) 2024 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
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