"Life ain't always empty" sings Grian Chatten over rattling guitars and a hypnotic drum groove. He means it too.
The title track to his band Fontaines DC's new album, A Hero's Death shakes it's head at a planet Earth designed to make you feel like shit. It's a call to arms against self-hatred, a self-proclaimed 'list of rules for the self', spat out in his trademark southern accent. Since Fontaines' ascension from The Liberties area of Dublin (an area known for it's rich culture and literary history) back in 2017, the young frontman has became a sort of older brother type figure for teenagers and 20-somethings across Europe. Somewhere amidst Fontaines' mammoth live sound and post-punk aggression, rests a poetic voice, a gentle soul embroiled in it all.
Fontaines DC stand for what is right and true. They seek to hold on to their past, reject modernity, and savour the smallest moments. Their debut Mercury Prize nominated record Dogrel was bold enough to bow out in a Dublin boozer during last 'orders, the drunken sway of Dublin City Sky recalling Shane McGowan at his most heartfelt and love-sick. 'To know you is to love you', Chatten sang as the rain battered against an ancient pub window. Their childhoods were small, but Fontaines DC knew they were going to be big. On 'A Hero's Death', they are big, possibly the hottest band in Europe today no less.
As expectation grows for their sophomore album, released 31st July, we've broken down some key reasons to keep the faith alive, based on what we know so far.
1. It was recorded quickly.
Think of the Stone Roses. On top of the world in 1989, heralded (somewhat ironically) as the second coming and the architects of Madchester. On their self-titled debut album, the Roses inspired a generation, crafting a sound as vibrant as the Jackson Pollock splashes they covered themselves and their artwork in. Taking five years to follow up that seminal album killed their momentum and opened the door for one of the bands they directly inspired, Oasis. The world moved on and for the Roses, the 90's were lost.
In the wake of Dogrel's phenomenal success, Fontaines DC set up base in Los Angeles, finishing the record last October - just six months after their debut album's release. Judging by the two songs we've heard from the new record thus far, A Hero's Death will be a continuation of the heart, optimism and melody that made them special in the first place. In a recent interview with the BBC, Chatten reflected on their hasty recording process, "That's why I can proudly say about our second album: It's written by the same fucking people."
2. There'll be a Californian twist.
Recording under the heat of the Californian sun can be a mammoth distraction, or open the door to a new facet of a band's music. For Fontaines, the Brian Wilson sound came as an unexpected, but welcome addition to the new record.
"We really got into harmonising when we were doing these long drives across America," says Chatten.
"We'd always tried to figure out exactly what the Beach Boys were doing on their tunes. We wanted to be able to sing so we didn't need instruments. Then, wherever we were, we could have a few drinks in the pub and just go for it."
On the dark and REM conduring new single I Don't Belong To Anyone, we hear the band come together for some 'oohs' and vocals layered in a new way. It gifts a ghostly flow to the music, as inviting as the waves he swims in in the new music video. A fascinating new addition to the DC canon.
"I think subconsciously we were reaching out to each other while we were practicing and writing little harmony parts in the back of the van," the singer says.
"It's an amazing feeling. It gives you a great sense of community - maybe because the singing culture we would have seen growing up, the Dubliner-style pub singing, was so familiar."
3. They've lost none of their grit.
That sweeping declaration at the heart of A Hero's Death, 'life ain't always empty', was inspired by the repetition of adverts found across every aspect of modern life. For every uplifting commandment Chatten throws into the ether, ('tell your mother that you love her, go out of your way for others') he revisits that opening lyric; but is he trying to convince himself, or stating fact?
On A Hero's Death, Fontaines will have lost none of their passion. Chatten all but affirmed this in a recent interview, "If we'd said everything that we had to say in one album, then we wouldn't have bothered making a second."
4. It's authentic.
The band have avoided the pitfalls of exploiting their Irish roots for commercial gain, instead writing an album that takes place outside of their native land.
"I would have liked to have more about Dublin," he admits. "I love living in Dublin and I think Dublin is an incredibly inspiring place - but I don't have the licence to write about it, because I haven't really been there for nearly two years now.
"So I wrote about my own experiences, the things that happen in my imagination and vignettes of other people, with maybe more exacerbated situations than the ones I'm going through."
"Ultimately," he says, “we wrote to tell ourselves we were still there, we’re still alive and we’re still individuals. "
Is it too real for ya?
5. It's the right time.
Whilst many artists have postponed album campaigns and (understandably) withheld music for the foreseeable, somehow you felt Fontaines DC would be the band to carry on. With the new record finished and awaiting release, it seems inevitable that some of the stresses and strains Chatten is channeling in his bid to follow up such a massive record as Dogrel, will ring true in the current world climate.
Those themes (that we've seen so far), include compassion, empathy and a certain amount of carpe diem.
"If you give ourselves to every breath, then we’re all in the running for a hero’s death.”
A Hero's Death is the most eagerly anticipated Irish album in years. Rightfully so.
Taylor Johnson
