Declan McKenna
Jul 18, 2023
British singer-songwriter Declan McKenna returns with his new single "Sympathy" via Tomplicated Records/Q Prime. It's the first new music from Declan since 2020, when he dropped his second album, Zeros. On the new single, he said, "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."
McKenna added, "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. 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.
The track was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Gianluca Buccellati (Arlo Parks, Lana Del Rey) and mixed by David Wrench (David Byrne, Jamie xx, Frank Ocean, Glass Animals). The video was directed by Will Hooper (IDLES, Dua Lipa), filmed on location in Camber Sands, East Sussex. Watch it here.
Declan was raised in Hertfordshire. He was a multi-instrumentalist by the time he was a teenager and began releasing tracks on his Bandcamp page when "Brazil” began to attract viral followers in January 2015. He has released two full length albums: What Do You Think About the Car? (2017) and Zeros (2020).
Following a few weeks of U.S. dates on "The Big Return Tour" in July leading up to Lollapalooza, Declan returns to the UK for main stage performances at Leeds Festival on August 25th and Reading Festival on August 27th. He will return to the U.S. for a Fall tour beginning September 27th in New Haven.
Declan McKenna Upcoming Tour Dates:
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
Aug 01 | St. Louis, MO | Delmar Hall
Aug 03 | Chicago, IL | Bottom Lounge - Lollapalooza Aftershow
Aug 04 | Chicago, IL | Lollapalooza
Sep 27 | New Haven, CT | Toad’s Place
Sep 29 | Ocean City, MD | Oceans Calling
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 07 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits
Oct 09 | Mexico City, MX | Pabellon Oeste
Oct 11 | Guadalajara, MX | C3 Stage
Oct 14 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits
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