As an Irishman living in England, Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten feels a “doom ringing in [his] head”. It’s a sound that resonates through the post-punk quintet’s third album, Skinty Fia: a fierce, dirge-like thundercloud of ruination. Chatten’s jagged sneer channels much of its electricity.
Formed in Dublin in 2017, the group met at music college and bonded over a mutual love of Irish poetry. Their Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Dogrel (2019) saw them fighting for the degraded soul of their hometown, against a monochrome soundscape inspired by Joy Division, Oasis, and The Cure. Their 2020 follow-up, A Hero’s Death, added Beach Boys-indebted colour and melody to the mix, along with a wariness of fan expectations (“You won’t catch me/ In your bear-trap loyalty”).
