Track listing: Media Hack, The Beginning Of The End, Mismatch, A Man, A Car and A Gun, Hole In My Soul, In The Picture, Trapped, High Rise Demise, Elsewhere, Holyrood Park, Time Tunnel, High Strangeness, The End Of The Beginning

London-based Pop artist The McKenzie FIX dropped their latest album on April 5, 2024. Media Hack is a 13-track effort released by Platform Records. The record taps into an ultra 80s/90s retro British New Wave vibe a la Depeche Mode, Cure, OMD and others.

Evidence of a true 1980s connection, the group's founder Ewan McKenzie has been cowriting for quite some time with lyricist/musician Kay Russell. Russell, best known for her Top 30 UK single "Twilight Cafe" co-written with the late Susan Fassbender, also contributes backing vocals throughout Media Hack.

Sonically speaking, The McKenzie FIX leans heavily on drum machines and synthesizers in the tradition of the genre. "Mismatch" features a cornucopia of synth sounds, upon which McKenzie's pleasant vocal tones tells his story. "A Man, A Car, and A Gun" brings to the record a playful waltz conveying the story of childhood, quirky life lessons ("my enemy's enemy is my friend"), and the tension of the the firearm's presence. 

Media Hack doesn't wow with instrumental or vocal theatrics. There's not an artificially catchy hook thrown in for the sake of clickbait. But what The McKenzie FIX accomplishes with the album is capturing the musical mood that was bursting from the UK's borders in the early and mid 1980s. It's a little quirky, a little oddball--which are likely worn like modest badges of honor by McKenzie. Yes, every artist hopes to have some level of commercials success (at least enough to pay the bills). But at the same time, quoting a Media Hack song title, there's a certain amount of pride to be taken in the art of "High Strangeness."

Learn more about Ewan McKenzie and all things The McKenzie FIX at themckenziefix.co.uk.