Top 10 Fontaines D.C. Songs

 

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, and probably the biggest music act to come out of Ireland in the past decade is Dublin post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C. Known for brooding soundscapes and literary lyrics, Fontaines are four albums deep into their careers and haven't had a miss yet. They've adapted their sound by incorporating elements of everything from Britpop to post-industrial without straying to far from their home base. Picking just ten favorites was a tall order, but I've managed to whittle down my list to ten tracks that encompass all of what I think makes Fontaines D.C. so great.

10. Too Real

"Too Real" was the first Fontaines D.C. song that really grabbed my attention in 2019, and for good reason. It starts off with an anxious hi-hat and bass line before different layers of sound swell in, like an engine slowly revving up. Once "Too Real" is going, though, there's no slowing down. Discordant, panning guitars accompany Grian Chatten as he barks out marching orders. The chorus is a simple repetition: "Is it too real for ya?" The middle verse adopts a more conventional Cure-like posture before the walls are kicked back in. As the lead single off of their debut album Dogrel, "Too Real" does a fantastic job of introducing what Fontaines are all about.

9. I Don't Belong

Jumping over to the band's second album, 2020's A Hero's Death, we have album opener "I Don't Belong." A Hero's Death is more dour and world-weary than its predecessor - making its mid-pandemic release fortuitous - and "I Don't Belong" showcases the shift right away. The instrumental plods along like a worker making the long commute home, and Chatten's vocal fits the theme. I know that may not sound appealing, but this one hits a certain frustration and exhaustion that's hard to pin down; when it hits you, it really hits you.

8. Nabokov

Proceeding right along, we now move to the third Fontaines studio album, Skinty Fia! Specifically, "Nabokov," the uproarious closing track. If you liked the swirling guitars on "Too Real," "Nabokov" brings those back tenfold. The entire song is a blurry blitz, equal parts Bauhaus and Swervedriver. "I did you a favor," Chatten cries. "I bled myself dry!" What always stands out to me here is just how thunderous the drums sound; every snare hits like a hand grenade. It's probably Fontaines' most chaotic song, and almost certainly their loudest.

7. Jackie Down the Line

Also off Skinty Fia, "Jackie Down the Line" sees Fontaines D.C. show off their melodic chops. It's a strummy number that recalls the 90's Britpop boom; indeed, there are moments here where Grian sounds like a third Gallagher brother. Given the song's anti-colonist message specifically aimed at Britain, the co-opting of that sound is cheekily clever. "You've got away with murder / maybe one time, maybe two," Chatten sings in the opening verse. The song rides a driving tempo courtesy of bassist Connor Deegan and drumer Tom Coll. It's also got one of the band's catchiest choruses that manages to still hammer home the political message of the song: "I don't think we'd rhyme / I will wear down in time / I will hurt you / I'll desert you / I am Jackie down the line."

6. Favourite

"Favourite" closes the band's grungy 2024 album Romance on its brightest note. A twinkling spring-time jaunt that clearly pulls The Smiths, it's a breezy rush with lyrics sweet as can be. "You've been my favourite for a long time," Chatten and Deegan both sing. The music video, which features home videos from each band member's childhood, is equally delightful. "Favourite" pushes Fontaines the closest they've ever been to pop - no wonder it hit #3 on the US Adult Alternative charts.

5. It's Amazing to Be Young

You know how I just mentioned that "Favourite" hit #3 on the Adult Alternative charts? Well, Romance bonus track "It's Amazing to Be Young" hit #2 last year. Nostalgic and simple, "It's Amazing to Be Young" argues that youth is exhilarating even in a broken society. Written for Deegan's daughter, you can hear how the song evolved from a lullaby into an 80's jangle pop jam. The surreal music video - which brings together the protagonists from the videos for "Here's the Thing" and "In the Modern World" - only adds to the charm with its story of forbidden young love.

4. Boys in the Better Land

Another one that explodes out of the gate, "Boys in the Better Land" is an early Fontaines single that quickly established the band as a force to be reckoned with. Whether you prefer the blistering version off Dogrel or the slightly more subdued Darklands version, "Boys in the Better Land" is a seam-ripping garage track that sprints to the finish. It's a song about hometown pride, with Chatten chastising the song's target for "always talking 'bout the 'boys in the better land.'" The dual guitar work from Conor Curley and Carlos O'Connell really shines here, acting almost as another arm of the rhythm section.

3. Starburster

While Romance-era tracks "Favourite" and "It's Amazing to Be Young" show off Fontaines D.C. at their most commercially viable, lead single "Starburster" is certainly them at their weirdest. For one thing, the verses are rapped - which could have been a disaster in less capable hands, but Chatten handles himself well. The chorus features a recurring gasp after every time he repeats "I'm gon' hit your business if there's momentary blissness." The entire song was apparently inspired by a panic attack, and that sense of unease permeates. The music video pushes things further, complete with a gimp suit, a Final Fantasy buster sword, and a time loop-induced crossover with the music video for JADE's "Angel of My Dreams" (an absolutely phenomenal song in its own right). Nothing about this should work, but somehow it all comes together into a magnificently wild ride. How this song made it on the EA FC 25 soundtrack I'll never know, but I'll also never complain.

2. The Lotts

While "Too Real" piqued my interest, it was "The Lotts" that stood out to me on my first pass through Dogrel and solidified for me that this band was onto something special. Awash with reverb, "The Lotts" laments the economic troubles that have turned parts of Dublin towards poverty and drug abuse. "Death is falling down on your work routine / And it's falling even harder on your churches and your queens," Chatten spits. You can practically see the darkened rainy alleyways of which they sing. The downtrodden instrumental coda rides out for nearly two minutes, delivering true-to-roots post-punk that would make Siouxsie & the Banshees proud.

1. I Love You

Considering the "D.C." in the band's name stands for "Dublin City," it's obvious that their home country of Ireland would be a frequent subject of their music. "I Love You" is their crowning jewel, and attacks many of the bad actors who have sent Ireland into economic and social turmoil, from the "gall of Fine Gael" to the "fail of Fianna Fáil." There is so much rich imagery peppered throughout these lyrics, it really shows that Chatten is a student of poetry. Choice cuts include: "You only open the window / Never open up the door"; "But this island's run by sharks with children's bones stuck in their jaws"; and "I loved you like a penny loves the pocket of a priest." It's an extremely bitter song, but that bitterness is rooted in a love for Ireland, and a hatred for those who waste its potential and hurt its people. Musically, it's a steadily-swelling rocker with a memorable bass line and enveloping guitar textures. I particularly like the sped-up rendition they do live, as it adds just that extra bit of bite. The two bridges serve as the song's ultimate thesis statement and emotional climax, giving Fontaines D.C. their most powerful statement to date.