Live in the arena

Fontaines D.C.: Soundtrack for the end of the world

What's left for us as the end of the world draws ever closer? On "Romance", Fontaines D.C. search for hope in the dystopia of everyday life.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/XL Recordings, Simon Wheatley)

Within five years and three albums, the Irish Fontaines D.C. have become one of the most exciting and biggest rock bands in the world. Next week they will make their Austrian live debut at the Vienna Arena, followed by their fourth album "Romance". Frontman Grian Chatten gives us a deep insight into the world of the post-punk heroes.

In addition to the often refuted cliché that rock'n'roll is dead, the myth of the lack of headliners of the future is the most persistent at the musical regulars' table. But if you go through life with open eyes and musical tolerance, you'll find plenty of artists ready to pass the baton. The Irish band Fontaines D.C., for example, have become absolute superstars of the post-punk scene in just five years and are not standing still in their development. "Dogrel" (2019), "A Hero's Death" (2020) and "Skinty Fia" (2022), which went to number one in England, have turned frontman Grian Chatten and co. into superstars against their will, and their sound has now been turned in all directions. For their fourth album "Romance", which will be released on August 23, they took inspiration from Shygirl, A$AP Ferg, Sega Bodega and nu-metal heroes Korn.

Making a virtue out of necessity
This influence can be heard most strongly in the single "Starburster", which has already been released. An audiovisual masterpiece that moves between hip-hop, nu-metal and long-established post-punk and refers to a panic attack suffered by a chatterbox at London's St. Pancras station. The singer's distinctive inhalation noise is not only intended to reflect the tragic situation, but also has a practical background. "I sing so many words that I had to take a deep breath in between. Then I thought to myself that this could actually fit in well with the song and left it at that," explains the 29-year-old in the Krone interview, "but I really like the idea of thousands of people joining in with this part at concerts." The song itself served as an outlet for Chatten to cope with the panic attack.

In many ways, "Romance" is the most personal and also the most worldly album in Fontaines' history. While on the first three albums, the Irish homeland was always an important foundation for the entire content, this time the band is drifting into more worldly spheres. Outside of touring, the band members scattered to Spain, Paris and Los Angeles - before returning to base in London. Each with experimental ideas and many exciting approaches. In complete contrast to the album title, Chatten sees himself as a less romantic songwriter. "I don't like the cliché of a dandy sitting on a park bench, jotting down thoughts in his expensive diary with a fine pen. I write in burger joints, on trains or as a passenger when we're stuck in traffic. I'd rather write on a bus than in Paris. This train of thought is a bit too artsy for me."

With the risk in your stomach
Chatten is not deterred by the rising expectations resulting from the band's success. "The writing process is exactly the moment when I completely free myself from it. Once I'm done, I'm sometimes confronted with these expectations, but fortunately I have a pretty healthy and pressure-free approach to these things." The band worked with star producer James Ford for the first time, which resulted in some surprising moments. "We played him our song 'Motorcycle Boy' and then I came around the corner with the demo for 'Starburster'," explains Chatten, "I felt the risk in my stomach when I presented him with the idea. But after the third run at the latest, he was enthusiastic himself. He realized that the song could be a real banger if you gave it time to develop."

There is a lot of catharsis and darkness on "Romance". Heavy themes, intense feelings, a lot of instinct. After Chatten 2023 had achieved success with the solo album "Chaos For The Fly", he was looking forward to reuniting with the band. "After we had all scattered around the world in the meantime, we needed a bit of time to find each other again, but that made the collaboration even better. After the solo album, I finally wanted to play with the whole band again. Getting into the rehearsal room and getting started - that was a great relief." After "Skinty Fia", Chatten felt for the first time that he had to be better with the new album. "It was so successful that I couldn't quite push these thoughts away. But I'm very happy with 'Romance'. I can even listen to it, which I've never really been able to do after finishing an album."

Search for comfort and warmth
If you look behind the title and the cover artwork, there's a heavy dose of dystopia in the songs. "For me, the album feels like it's happening at the end of the world. Suddenly you discover a radio from the 50s, where you also hear music from that time and wonder what the hell this is. If you look at the world today, there is little hope. Every few weeks a new war breaks out, people have no more money, everything seems to suck. No wonder we all look for comfort and warmth in the music of the past, in a distorted nostalgia. It's interesting that when you dive through the narcissism of the media and politics, you meet totally nice people on the street who are friendly and helpful. That's sometimes hard to accept because you no longer believe it. We live in a crazy world."

With "Romance", the Fontaines D.C. have once again created a whole new world, which the listener sometimes has to work for, but is rewarded with an almost revolutionary and exciting work. Countless songs don't make it onto the album, but that doesn't bother Chatten. "I'm not a fan of collecting ideas that have been sorted out and then recycling them later. That's for later, when we get to the age of the Rolling Stones and curate outtake compilations." Chatten doesn't think much of some songwriters' approach of actively fishing for ideas. "It's like when you can't sleep, but you stay in bed in convulsions. I'd rather go for a walk, make myself a cup of tea or sit in front of the TV. I don't want to associate my bed with insomnia - and thus not associate half-baked song ideas with my songwriting."

Live in Vienna for the first time
On August 13, Fontaines D.C. will make their Austrian live debut with a concert in the open-air area of the Vienna Arena. Even ten days before the album release, you can expect to hear some new songs. Tickets for one of this summer's most exciting live highlights are still available at www.ticketmaster.at. You can also find more information about the evening there.