IN REVIEW: Fontaines D.C.: "Skinty Fia"

 

Fontaines D.C. have come a long way in a short time; barely a year removed from a post-punk debut that garnered loads of attention and immediately pigeonholed them as a young, feisty band on the rise, they'd already started looking to broaden their horizons and seek new influences on their 2020 sophomore record, A Hero's Death. It might not have stuck with fans in the same way Dogrel did, but in retrospect it seems like a necessary recalibration heading into third record Skinty Fia.

With most of the band now having relocated to London from Dublin, Skinty Fia deals with not only the pressures of adjusting to a new home, but also the pressures of expectation; after watching their star rise so quickly in the UK and gaining plenty of followers on this side of the Atlantic, it feels as though Fontaines D.C. are continuing to discover themselves. Further exploring darker, moodier textures and elements of new wave and shoegaze, with Skinty Fia the group create even more artistic distance between themselves and their scrappy debut.

This isn't a bad thing, mind you; there are many more dynamic turns on this album, and less of the repetition that somewhat undermined A Hero's Death; here, greater care is taken to set the table, resulting in more layered and rewarding songs. For instance, there are a lot of sounds present on lead single Jackie Down the Line, acoustic guitars strumming gently alongside reverb-soaked lead licks and melodic vocals that grow in number and volume as the song unfurls. Roman Holiday is a vibe all its own, bouncy bass line underscoring a wailing lead guitar while the rhythm guitar floats along in the background, creating a dreamlike whirl of sound. The title track takes things even further, incorporating a thick beat and some abrasive swaths of noise to accompany Grian Chatten's downtrodden delivery in a way that's a little bit unsettling and a lot intriguing.

However, some of the best moments on the album are its most heartfelt and poignant; lead track In ár gCroíthe go deo (translation: In Our Hearts Forever) carries the responsibility of setting the stage for the album, and does so with a majestic slow burn while the title references the reputation of the Irish language in the English speaking world (the phrase was prohibited from being presented without an English translation on the tombstone of an ex-pat in England out of concern for the words being construed as political). It's a stunning enough track without being fed this extra food for thought, and sets up many of the record's themes extremely effectively.

I Love You proves itself an even more potent serving; starting out as a rather sweet ode to Chatten's native land, at just before its halfway point there's a sudden pivot to addressing some ugly Irish problems head on. It's such an important song because it teaches us that it's okay to love your homeland without submitting to blind patriotism, a heavy message the likes of which doesn't often get properly conveyed in song, but it really works here.

Not everything can possibly be this effective or powerful, and there are a few tracks that somewhat miss the mark in comparison, but they don't hurt the momentum too badly. Though it doesn't quite obtain the status of masterpiece, Skinty Fia proves that Fontaines D.C. are more than capable of delivering one, and I get the feeling we may not have to wait much longer to get it.

April 22, 2022 • Partisan

Highlights In ár gCroíthe go deo • Jackie Down the Line • I Love You