The superbly unique Declan McKenna is gearing up for a co-headline Australia tour next month with the fellow UK act Two Door Cinema Club.
McKenna completed his first Australian tour at the start of this year and looks back fondly at the time. "It was just fun and refreshing after doing all the European and American stuff so many times over."The tour was sold out across the country and luckily Aussie fans won't need to wait long for the British artist to return. "It was one of those offers that came through that was a great idea," recounts Declan of the co-headline tour with Two Door Cinema Club, even though both artists have never collaborated or even know each other all that well.
After signing to Columbia Records as a 16 year old, earlier this year, with his contract coming to an end, Declan decided not to re-sign rather striking out as an independent artist.
"It was kind of a question of whether I would re-sign with Columbia, maybe look elsewhere, which I never really did, or, you know, try something new, go independent for a bit. It's what I've wanted to do for a while, at least most of this year.
"I'm at a stage in my career where it feels like a very viable thing to do, and I have fans that are there to support me," McKenna explains, his new-found confidence palpable across the Zoom call.
When asked whether he has any advice for other artists considering becoming independent, Declan cautions remaining autonomous for as long as they can. "Artists now in the TikTok era are getting signed very quickly off the back of one tune seeing success on TikTok, and a lot of the time the artists should keep doing their own thing because they're seeing success doing it [that way] rather than letting the label take over and encouraging them to work in their parameters."
McKenna's first release as an independent artist is the recent double single, 'Champagne/That's Life', which is a commentary on personal and social aspirations. "They're both quite intertwined, like looking at kind of the grind and aspirations; people's aspirations aren't based on what they really want in a way, it's quite shallow things like champagne. You know, you can't celebrate without champagne.
"'Champagne' and 'That's Life' have come together in the last few months as the first finished tracks produced with my good friend Jules. They are old ideas that started to come to life while I was messing around with them in my new studio; 'Champagne' even has me playing live drums for the first time for a full track.
"The themes of both are quite similar but different in approach, one more grand and over the top, the other more cyclical and cynical.
"'Champagne' took me to grander and more expanded ideas, more rooted in theatrics and performance, the lyrics are related to grandeur and what really happens next when someone reaches a benchmark of success. 'That's Life' feels to me like a cycle, the song repeats in a way that reflects the themes. Slowly accepting that each turn life takes can feel cruel."
Often the release of single/s leads to an album rollout, but not on this occasion. "These are a standalone [releases]. I see the next project being something a little bit more stripped-back because I've been diving into my own production world and weird sounds like the last record."
- written by Dante Griffith
Two Door Cinema Club & Declan McKenna 2024 Tour Dates
Wed 4 Dec - Ice Cream Factory (Perth)Fri 6 Dec - Sydney Opera House Forecourt
Sun 8 Dec - Margaret Court Arena (Melbourne)
Tue 10 Dec - University of Wollongong Gardens
Thu 12 Dec - The Station (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 13 Dec - The Riverstage (Brisbane)
Sat 14 Dec - Bar On The Hill (Newcastle)
