Music Countdown to St. Paddy’s Day (Week 2)
Photo Courtesy of Official Fontaines D.C. Instagram
Bryce Russell | Art & Entertainment Editor
For this week, I wanted to focus on an artist that wasn’t in the genre of traditional Irish music. Last year, I covered the legendary band from Limerick, the Cranberries. This year for the alternative rock spot in the countdown, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite newer bands: Fontaines D.C..
Fontaines D.C. is an indie / alternative post-punk rock band from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 2014 by members Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan, Grian Chatten, and Tom Coll while at college for music in the Liberties area of Dublin. Bonding over a shared love of poetry, the group released a few collections of poetry before beginning to make music together. Originally going by just “the Fontaines,” they added the “D.C.” to represent “Dublin City” after they learned of another band based in Los Angeles that went by “the Fontaines.”
With a sound influenced by classic post-punk acts like Joy Division and Wire, the sound of Fontaines D.C. has grown since their debut album Dogrel in 2019. With a more traditional punk sound akin to the Modern Lovers, Dogrel brought international attention to the band, resulting in them playing their song “Boys in the Better Land” on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
For the band, their third studio album, 2022’s Skinty Fia was their breakthrough album, debuting at number one on the Irish and UK album charts. Songs like “Jackie Down the Line” and “I Love You” have become two of the band’s biggest hits.
Lead singer and songwriter Grian Chatten has been widely acclaimed for his lyrics and distinctive vocal style. Often compared to Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Chatten’s often hypnotic lyrics and delivery have been a driving force behind Fontaines D.C.’s success. He also released his self-titled debut in 2023 titled Chaos for the Fly.
The band’s 2024 album Romance was nominated for best rock album at this past Grammy Awards, but lost to the Rolling Stones. I love the Rolling Stones, but Fontaines D.C. 100% should have won. Romance sported a slightly poppier sound, but more in the vain of late 80s bands like the Cure and the Smiths.
If you want to change up the feel on your St. Patrick’s Day playlist with some alternative rock, I definitely think Fontaines D.C. should have a spot on there.
Song Recommendations:
This is the song that sold me on the band. “Favourite” is just a super upbeat, fun song, perfect for hanging out with friends on your porch in the student neighborhood. With a feel reminiscent of songs like “Just Like Heaven” and “In Between Days” by the Cure, the song has a feeling of nostalgia, change, and happiness.
Barry Keoghan stars in the music video. That should be enough to get some people to give it a listen. With driving drums and simple guitar strumming, “Bug” is a deceptively simple song. However, Grian Chatten’s impeccable vocal delivery makes this one of their most exciting and best songs for an intro to the band.
Another fantastic song, the lead single off of Skinty Fia highlights Grian Chatten’s vocals with a fuzzy bass and pounding drums. A mix of speak-singing and more typical singing styles, “Jackie Down the Line” is a good song to check out to see if you would be more interested into the more classic post-punk sound of their older albums or the alternative sound of their newest album Romance.
If you liked the speak-singing of “Jackie Down the Line,” you’ll love “I Love You.” This song was considered by the band as the first “overtly political song” they’ve written, the song dives into the modern politics of Ireland and the band’s current frustrations with the government. The chorus that Grian Chatten raps out like a spoken word poet is one of the most moving music moments of the past five years, in my opinion.
The band’s newest song, “It’s Amazing To Be Young” was just released last Friday, and has had a grip on me the whole past week. With this song, I think they have perfected this sort of 80s reminiscent alt-rock sound. It’s the perfect song to romanticize your life to, especially during a big event like St. Paddy’s Day in the UD student neighborhood.
With driving guitar and bass riffs reminiscent of “Road Runner” by the Modern Lovers, “Boys in the Better Land” has an angsty, young punk sound to it. Grian Chatten snarls through the lyrics about Irish immigration and creates a new punk classic, in my opinion.
The first single released in the buildup to Romance, “Starburster” is now Fontaines D.C.’s most streamed song on Spotify. Hypnotic synths and booming, echoing drums push Grian Chatten’s vocals to the limit.