Fontaines DC have been on quite the journey over the course of their three albums to date. Their 2019 instant classic Dogrel was – unsurprisingly, from a band named after Dublin city – largely set in the Irish capital. In a refreshingly unfettered accent, singer Grian Chatten delivered punky, rumbustious songs brimming with references to specific pubs and characters, from the ranting preacher on Chequeless Reckless to the anglophobic cabby of Boys in the Better Land. A year later, they took a left turn with A Hero’s Death. Mostly written and recorded while touring Dogrel, these songs were slower, more brooding, reflecting the band’s feelings of burnout and dislocation amid a gruelling schedule and guilt over their success.
This year’s Skinty Fia signalled their most radical metamorphosis yet. There aren’t too many signs left of Dogrel’s rabble-rousing punk; instead, the band have become more reflective while also throwing in curveballs, bringing in new textures from Irish folk accordion to hints of drum’n’bass.
