Chaos For The Fly

Album review

Over the course of three essential albums, Dogrel (2019, Qobuzissime!), A Hero's Death (2020) and Skinty Fia (2022), Fontaines D.C. have established themselves as a major voice in UK rock. In fact, the Irish band quickly proved capable of breaking free of the post-punk shackles and branching out into other musical flavours. It's hardly surprising that the first solo album from their charismatic singer Grian Chatten is a rather strong display of stylistic eclecticism. In fact, there are no traces of hardcore post-punk on Chaos For The Fly, which showcases the pen of this Skerries native. Throes of success, homesickness, fear of the future, need for freedom, extreme introspection, simple contemplation… it's all there! Grian Chatten whispers his prose through a mist of melancholy that never overstates, hypnotising us with his viscerally poetic voice. As for the instrumentation, whether he opts for a stripped-down style based around a simple acoustic guitar (it was in this simple instrument that he composed his album), or for polished and varied arrangements, the leader of Fontaines D.C. demonstrates total mastery. The astonishing Bob's Casino, a slightly retro duet with his sweetheart Georgie Jesson in a very She & Him or Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood spirit, demonstrates it convincingly. In short, when it’s pens down at the end of the year, Chaos For The Fly will be up there with the best albums. Way up there! © Marc Zisman