The Indie King is going indie – Declan McKenna may be the king of Indie music, but this is straight from the horse’s mouth; or rather, the pony’s.
On Oct. 17, popular alternative singer Declan McKenna announced on Instagram that he was leaving his major record label and starting his own independent company by the name of Miniature Ponies.
The tongue-in-cheek post featured McKenna reading a fake newspaper with a headline that read “‘Indie King’ goes indie,” along with a report style blurb announcing his new venture.
“I agreed to make three albums with the label and so I made three albums,” McKenna said in the blurb.
The next day, McKenna announced that he would be releasing his first two songs under his independent label on Oct. 25.
The product, singles titled “Champagne” and “That’s Life” walk an intriguing line between sustaining the sound from his most recent studio album, “What Happened to the Beach?” and returning to McKenna’s roots.
Though its mix of thumping synth and toy piano are certainly a far cry from McKenna’s debut single “Brazil,” the composition of “Champagne” has a somewhat reminiscent quality about it. Both tracks establish a catchy centerpiece that carries the majority of the songs’ backings; with “Champagne” it’s the synth and toy piano, and with “Brazil” it’s the punchy guitar riff.
Especially compared to “Beach,” McKenna’s most experimental album to date, this single feels much more simple and stripped back, much like his earlier releases, while maintaining the maturity he’s developed since then.
“That’s Life” follows suit, tethered by a syncopated snapping beat. With additional vocal and guitar tracks layered intermittently, this song is stripped back even further in favor of the central vocals and lyrics. Though the backing starts to increasingly fill out as the song progresses, the vocals remain at the forefront.
The mixing between vocals and backings is really what stands out most on these two tracks. Compared to earlier entries, where the simplicity of the instrumentals occasionally left tracks feeling hollow here, McKenna has found the equilibrium with backings that feel stripped back yet full at the same time.
Though impressive and enjoyable in their own right regardless of familiarity with McKenna’s music, for a long-time fan such as myself, these songs demonstrate a rich blend of the experience the singer has gained throughout his time with Columbia Records and the sound that initially garnered him attention back in 2017.
Perhaps it’s a placebo, but there does seem to be a discernible deviation between these new tracks and those on “Beach. It will be interesting to see what the future holds with McKenna producing his music independently.
Though similar in some of their qualities, “Champagne” and “That’s Life” offer a look at two different sides of McKenna, one more playful and the other more serious, offering a satisfying sample of what’s to come in the future.
McKenna is currently touring with Sabrina Carpenter as an opening act on her Short n’ Sweet tour.
