Declan McKenna starts a new chapter with independent singles ‘Champagne’ and ‘That’s Life’

Declan McKenna has started a new chapter, sharing two new singles called ‘Champagne’ and ‘That’s Life’. Check them out below.

• READ MORE: Declan McKenna on the journey to his joy-filled third album: “The whole process has been empowering”

Announced today (October 28), the two new songs come as the first self-released material from the singer, songwriter and guitarist, following on from his last studio album ‘What Happened To The Beach?’.

Released as part of his brand new independent label, Miniature Ponies, the two singles mark the first steps in McKenna “taking on the complete ownership of his creativity and artistry,” reads a press release. They were both developed and recorded over the late summer, although they stemmed from previously-made ideas.

In ‘Champagne’, McKenna takes on an upbeat, summer feeling – capturing a pulsating beat and exploring the overwhelming highs and lows that come from excess. “You can’t celebrate without champagne/ Gonna hold my heart/ Up, up, out and away/ Dance and celebrate with what’s-her-face/ From what’s it called, oughta know,” he sings in the psychedelic chorus.

As for ‘That’s Life’, the single is more mellow than its counterpart and tackles the cyclical nature of life while maintaining an optimistic outlook. “When they say don’t hurt your innocent minds/ If you really wanna know how it works/ Get in line/ That’s life/ That’s right, you’ll learn,” he explains in the pre-chorus.

Check out both below.

“‘Champagne’ and ‘That’s Life’ have come together in the last few months as the first finished tracks produced with my good friend Jules [Apollinaire]. 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,” McKenna said of the two new singles.

“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.”

He continued: “‘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.”

Both tracks come as the songwriter is currently gearing up to support Sabrina Carpenter on her run of ‘Short N’ Sweet’ tour dates across North America next week. At time of writing, he has three live shows remaining of his own headline North America stint, stopping in Chicago tonight (October 28), Minneapolis and Madison.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity because it’s going to be my first time in arenas. It’s going to be a wild ride. Her shows are really cool and I’m loving all the music she’s putting out, it’s very exciting,” he told NME about the dates at Glastonbury 2024.

From there, McKenna has also got a seven-date co-headline tour of Australia with Two Door Cinema Club lined up for this December. From there, he’ll open for Imagine Dragons next summer for their UK and European stadium tour – including two shows at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Visit here for tickets to all of his upcoming shows.

In other Declan McKenna news, back in February the singer celebrated the release of his new album ‘What Happened to the Beach?’ by performing a rendition of his 2023 single ‘Nothing Works’ on Blue Peter. He also got involved with the regular arts and crafts segment of the show.

In a four-star review of McKenna’s latest record, NME wrote: “On ‘What Happened To The Beach?’, perfectionism is released to make space to revel in creativity, resulting in a truly joyful effort.”

McKenna said in a recent interview with NME that he’d found the process of making the album “quite empowering”, adding: “[It] has made me feel like I’m capable of executing different kinds of songs.

“I see every album of mine as an opportunity to make something that I’m proud of, as well as an opportunity to learn from different people along the way. I followed a dramatically different process to what I have done before, but it allowed me to absorb new methods from the musicians around me.”

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