Declan McKenna has surprised fans today by releasing an unlikely collaboration with North London rapper Nega Brandon on Soundcloud called ‘Don’t Spill,’ which he says was created ‘from a little vinyl sampling sesh at the start of the year.’ The result is very interesting and a complete departure from McKenna’s usual style. In fact it is difficult to tell where his hand is felt in this collaboration, with the lyrics coming from Nega Brandon and the production credited to an unknown figure referred to as Darles Chickens, it seems that McKenna’s influence must be more of a silent guiding hand.
The track is short and sweet and leaves the listener desperately wanting more. The simple combination of authentic samples, cool lyrics and a smooth bass line makes for a really relaxing listen which is a refreshing contrast to the hyperactivity of Indie Rock which Declan McKenna usually deals with. It is unclear whether this will be start of collaborative work from McKenna who will surely be focusing on promoting his latest album ‘Zeros,’ which is still hot off of the press, however fans will surely be excited by the short taste they have been given and soon be craving more.
The decision to release the track on Soundcloud rather than some of the more mainstream and commercialised platforms like Spotify or Apple Music is a refreshing reminder of McKenna’s status as an Indie figurehead, naturally suspicious of the large money making businesses which so often leach off of the talented people in the music industry. Soundcloud is perhaps the last real outpost in free and also ad-free audio streaming, though a premium version is now available there still appears to be almost full functionality without having to pay anything.
Soundcloud is also of course the birthplace of what became known as Soundcloud Rap and is perhaps a suitable place for the Lo-Fi Hip-Hop in this track which is clearly very influenced by the earlier pioneers n this genre which almost all released their music through Soundcloud. Like Youtube, Soundcloud is one of the internet age platforms which has helped launch the careers of many of todays now famous musicians. Youtube is well known as being the place that launched Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish’s breakthrough track ‘Ocean Eyes,’ was first uploaded to Soundcloud.
As well as this collaboration with Nega Brandon, Declan McKenna has been active on Soundcloud over the past couple of weeks, uploading a number of cover songs as well as raw demo versions and song ideas both old and new. For fans of ‘Zeros,’ or any of McKenna’s other music will find that his Soundcloud is something of a treasure trove for anybody looking for some rawer and more intimate takes to get to know him a little better.
Declan McKenna is due to go on tour in 2021, full UK dates are as follows:
19/03/2021 – O2 Academy – Sheffield
20/03 – O2 Academy – Liverpool
22/03 – O2 Academy – Oxford
23/03 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
24/03 – O2 Academy – Leicester
26/03 – Nick Rayns LCR UEA – Norwich
27/03 – Cambridge Junction – Cambridge
28/03 – O2 Academy – Bristol
30/03 – Cardiff University Students Union – Cardiff
01/04 – O2 Academy – Brixton
02/04 – O2 Academy – Brixton
03/04 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
05/04 – Rock City – Nottingham
06/04 – O2 Academy – Newcastle
08/04 – O2 Academy – Leeds
09/04 – Albert Hall – Manchester
10/04 – Albert Hall – Manchester
12/04 – SWG3 – Glasgow
13/04 – SWG3 – Glasgow
