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Fontaines D.C. Skinty Fia

Their third album crowns Fontaines D.C. as the new leaders of Irish pop-punk, as they craft their most masterful record to date.


Released: 22 April 2022
Skinty Fia

The identity struggle for Fontaines D.C. has acted as a focal point for their lyrical political-punk rhetoric since the beginning of their discography. Third album Skinty Fia tells a story parallel to previous work Dogrel and A Hero’s Death, which both celebrated their home town of Dublin and the country they were for so long intertwined with.

Skinty Fia (an old Irish swearword meaning ‘the damnation of the deer’) speaks to lyricist Grian Chatten’s experience of the Irishness that exists in London – a dilution of the culture they adore. While the album retains remnants of the five-piece’s previous work, the new sound aids their biggest musical expansion yet. “It’s about being Irish and expressing that in London”, bassist Deego explains. “There’s a sentimentality of sitting in a London pub, surrounded by other Irish people and it’s 4am. On the other hand, there’s something dark and a little bit bleak about that.”

This ten-track metaphor compares the group’s roots to a taxing relationship. ‘I Love You’ demonstrates the guilt of leaving, while ‘Roman Holiday’ shows their devotion to their new home. It’s evident that the band didn’t want this album to fit inside the box critics expect them to be in, and allow each track to develop and breathe independently.

A musical paradox of a track is ‘The Couple Across The Way’. Bold yet musically reserved, Chatten depicts a rowing couple in the flat opposite his own. The song requires closer attention to see its beauty, scattered with lines such as: “You use voices on the phone that were once spent on me”. Skinty Fia cements the overwhelming adoration that Fontaines have recently received, and with their second tour of 2022 already announced, the album is set to launch another wave of success.

by Chloe Menesse (she/her)
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