What Do You Think About the Car?

Declan McKenna was still a teenager when he made <i>What Do You Think About the Car?</i> and, accordingly, his debut album crackles with youthful exuberance. You can hear it in McKenna’s breezy delivery and the ease of his songcraft, the way in which the uplifting indie-rock of “Brazil” and the synth-pop stomp of “Bethlehem” loosely drip in hypnotic melodies. Scratch beneath the surface, though, and you’ll find an artist tackling the big issues with a rare lightness of touch, the album’s themes touching on corruption, LGBTQ+ issues, teenage suicide and more. What Do You Think About the Car? introduces a bold, brilliant songwriting talent.