Zeros

The former 2015 Glastonbury Emerging Talent winner has delivered a spotless pop album in Zeros full of otherworldly, kicky bleeps and oddity. It will definitely write his ticket as a contender to the throne.

No longer is McKenna a teenager emerging at Glastonbury, he is someone for the generation he speaks for to listen to.

Thankfully the music, all punchy guitars and rolling keyboards, is so stirring that we’ll go out dancing.

Zeros is the sound of an artist pushing his creative development, and enjoying himself as he does so. Exciting stuff.

McKenna’s second album is in thrall to pop’s 1970s glam heroes, but his lyrics ponder today’s struggles, from the climate crisis to social media.

In almost every way it is bigger than his debut, there’s urgency to the instrumentals and operatic crescendos, all in the aid of trying to observe the madness.

Declan’s musical palette second time around comes full of glitter and flares, taking all it can from the decades taste forgot.

The 21-year-old might be trying to shake off any unwieldy labels from critics this time around, but he’s doing so in electric, entertaining and thought-provoking form.

McKenna is not reinventing the wheel and the glam-rock sound that he has perfected has been done by others on countless occasions but his touching, wholesome and genuine lyrics about life in the Tik-Tok era means the album isn’t reliant on its nostalgia-filled sound.

Nodding to Bowie and the Beatles on songs about climate change and capitalism, the 21-year-old songwriter roots his political critique in the rich tradition of British protest rock.

McKenna merges glam, pop, indie and a touch of electronica to make a contemporary sonic exploration of a tumultuous world.

Zeros is at times his own worst enemy. Attempting to blend upbeat heat-wave pop and guitar-orientated protest music, it fails to click into harmony at certain points in the album.