New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Declan McKenna returns with new single "Sympathy," his first new music of the year, and the first to be lifted from the follow-up to his acclaimed second album Zeros, which debuted at #2 in the UK album chart, back in Summer 2020.
The track premieres today as
Radio 1's Hottest Record, alongside a video directed by Will Hooper (IDLES, Dua Lipa), filmed on location in Camber Sands, East Sussex.
"
Sympathy" represents the effortless and uncomplicated style of writing that McKenna has been focusing on. "It was important to use fewer words and not over-explain things this time around," McKenna confirms. By stripping away the layers he found that his songwriting became more revealing and, ultimately, satisfying too.
Declan on "
Sympathy": "'Sympathy' doesn't have a complex message, and, in itself, encourages simplicity and directness. It feels like a dream about love and compassion, it wants us to let go of inhibitions and allow ourselves to truly connect with others rather than overthinking and hiding your feelings away. Or put even simpler, it's about peace and love."
It's a buoyant and bold leftfield pop song, skittering along in the sunshine with chiming organs, shuffling beats, a smattering of handclaps, and Declan's innate ear for both tone and melody.
He found that sunshine in abundance out in Los Angeles where the track was recorded alongside producer Gianluca Buccellati, perhaps best known for his work with Arlo Parks on her Mercury Prize winning debut album "Collapsed In Sunbeams", and Lana Del Rey. The track was mixed by
David Wrench (David Byrne, Jamie xx, Frank Ocean, Glass Animals).
Creating that distance from home offered
Declan the time and space that's inhabited his new music too. "
Sympathy" immediately feels like a renewed burst of energy and enthusiasm for the young Brit, which finds him in scintillating form.
On July 11th, McKenna will kick off leg 2 of his 50+ date North American tour, in cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, NYC, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and more (full dates below).
Declan returns to the UK later this summer, perched high up the billing (just behind headliner
Billie Eilish on the main stage) at the Reading & Leeds Festival in August.
Declan McKenna's Big Return Tour Dates:
Leg 2
Special guest: Eli Smart
Jul 11 | Toronto, ON | Danforth
Music Hall
Jul 13|Ottawa, Ontario|Ottawa Bluesfest*
Jul 15 | South Burlington, VT | Higher Ground
Jul 17 | Portland, ME |
State Theatre
Jul 18 | Providence, RI | Fete
Music Hall
Jul 20 | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Steel
Jul 21 | New York, NY | Webster Hall
Jul 22 | Harrisburg, PA | XL Live
Jul 25 | Cleveland, OH | Agora Ballroom
Jul 26 | Detroit, MI | The Majestic Theatre
Jul 28 | Cincinnati, OH | Bogart's
Jul 29 | Indianapolis, IN |
Deluxe at Old
National Centre
Jul 30 | Nashville, TN | Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
Aug 01 | St. Louis, MO | Delmar Hall
Aug 3 | Chicago, IL | The Bottom Lounge (Lolla Aftershow)
Aug 4 | Chicago, IL | Lollapalooza
Aug 25|Leeds, UK|Leeds Festival*
Aug 27|Reading, UK|Reading Festival*
Leg 3
Special guest: Allie Crow Buckley
Sep 27 | New Haven, CT | Toad's Place
Oct 01 | Columbia, SC | The Senate
Oct 02 | Athens, GA | Georgia Theatre
Oct 03 | Chattanooga, TN | The Signal
Oct 05 | New Orleans, LA | Toulouse Theatre
Oct 9 | Mexico City, MX |Pabellón Oeste
Oct 11 | Guadalajara, MX | C3 Stage
Oct 16 | Albuquerque, NM | El Rey Theater
Oct 17 | Tempe, AZ | Marquee Theatre
Oct 19 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre
Oct 21 | Salt Lake City, UT | The Union
Oct 23 | Seattle, WA | Showbox SoDo
Oct 25 | Portland, OR | Roseland Theater
Oct 29 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom
Oct 31 | Sacramento, CA | Ace of Spades
Nov 1 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theater
Nov 3 | Los Angeles, CA | The Novo
Nov 4 | Pomona, CA | The Fox Theater
*Festival Date.
