In January 2020, McKenna announced that his new album would be released on 15 May 2020. In an interview with DIY (when asked about what the album will sound like), he said, "I've been listening to a lot of old Dylan records, these really raw recordings, and really appreciating that energy. I just wanted to get in a room with a group of musicians and not get it too 'right'. The sound to me developed in that way. There's a lot of '70s references, a lot of Waterboys and Crosby, Stills and Nash, but it still feels modern to me. It definitely feels like a natural progression from the first one."[3] In March 2020, he announced that he was delaying the release of the album due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that it would now be released on 21 August. McKenna said on his social media, "This is not a decision I take lightly – I recorded this album in August last year, and for it to have taken a whole year to get out to the world is pretty jarring for me, but these times are exceptional and there is very little space to make this happen the way I want it to within them."[4][5] In August 2020, McKenna announced that he would further delay the album's release and that it will now be released on 4 September 2020.[6]
Promotion
Singles
"Beautiful Faces" was released as the lead single from the album on 29 January 2020.[7] The song peaked at number 24 on the U.S. BillboardAlternative Songs chart. "The Key to Life on Earth" was released as the second single from the album on 14 April 2020. "Daniel, You’re Still a Child" was released as the third single from the album on 8 July 2020. "Be an Astronaut" was released as the fourth single on 5 August 2020, followed by a music video for the song on 7 August 2020.
Tour
McKenna confirmed that planned April tour dates will be rescheduled. He said, "I am going to be playing more shows later in the year and beyond so I can still see all those who had tickets and all who did not but in these uncertain times it’s going to take a second to know when works. Touring at the minute is not only unsafe but effectively impossible, plans we had in the coming months for America, Europe and many of our festival dates are now not going to happen in the lead up to the album."[4]
