Isombard

"Isombard" captures the stumbling dialogue of a ‘right wing Fox News-type TV presenter’ centered around the topic of police brutality and xenophobia. This isn’t the first time Declan McKenna has touched on sociopolitical issues. His breakout single "Brazil", touched upon the miserable nature of football within the social hemisphere of Brazil, and "Paracetamol" dealt with the misrepresentation of transgender people in the media.

McKenna notes that "Isombard" is loosely based on “next to of course god america i”, a poem mocking the patriotism of Americans by E. E. Cummings. The poem suggests that patriotism has developed into a competition of pride amongst people, rather than a genuine love for the country, and mocks the way in which typical patriots would praise their country with closed minds and blindness. This closed-minded ideal can be seen throughout the song.

Declan has confessed that “Isombard” is actually spelt wrong and when he sent the demo he made a mistake but prefers “Isombard” over “Isambard” anyway.

"The idea of Isombard is basically about this right wing Fox News-type TV presenter trying to justify things like police brutality and xenophobia, and using cases for backwards political gains, but completely fumbling over his words and not really knowing what he’s talking about.
It’s also maybe me trying to rewrite “next to of course god america i” by E. E. Cummings, but as a pop song.“

- Declan McKenna