Declan McKenna - What Do You Think About the Car?

The Guardian 80

(Columbia)

With a major label deal and a super televised Glastonbury appearance under his belt at the age of 18, Declan McKenna has the youthful self-confidence to tackle material that older songwriters rarely touch. His subject matter ranges from the suicide of US transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn and media portrayal of LGBT communities (Paracetamol) to Fifa World Cup corruption (Brazil, penned when he was 15) and law enforcement and Black Lives Matter (Isombard).

They are protest songs, but sound anything but worthy or world-weary. Instead, they are sun-soaked aural fizz bombs which channel indie rock through his love of David Bowie and Abba. His effervescent anthems are packed with detail, from electro squiggles to children’s voices, and he saves one of his best choruses for The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home, in which he packs the anger, fear, alienation and glimmering flames of hope of Generation Z into a euphoric, uplifting pop construction.

The Guardian 60

(Columbia)

The debut album from 18-year-old Hertfordshire singer-songwriter Declan McKenna suggests that the “voice of a generation” hyperbole he’s already attracted might be a little premature, yet there is much here that impresses. He certainly stands out from his peers, his hook-laden indie coming with atypically socially aware lyrics, whether at a macro (Fifa corruption on Brazil) or micro level (the bullying of transgender teens on Paracetamol). There’s a pleasing maturity to his tunes, too, the verses of Make Me Your Queen echoing Roddy Frame at his best. The rousing Isombard is equally good, but the quality control isn’t maintained, his choruses occasionally sounding laboured. Still, there’s promise in abundance here.

Pitchfork 59

The 18-year-old UK singer-songwriter Declan McKenna has been called a voice of his generation. His major label debut is scattershot, though it includes a Rostam-helmed standout.