After months of hardly contained excitement, Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C have released their eagerly awaited new album, A Hero’s Death. Storming into the stratosphere today (31st July 2020) A Hero’s Death is the second studio album from Fontaines D.C, and follows their hugely successful debut album, Dogrel. A highly anticipated album from both critics and fans alike, A Hero’s Death has been given the esteemed title today by BBC Radio 6 after being named their ‘Album of the Day.’
The Boys Of The Better Land hitmakers shared the exciting news of their latest release to their official Instagram page today. Featuring a blue-themed montage of the band and Televised Mind blaring in the background, Fontaines D.C took the time to show their appreciation for their fans during the making of A Hero’s Death, declaring that “Writing this record last year meant everything to us, the support you’ve shown us since it’s announcement means just as much.” Receiving over 10,000 likes, the post was met with excitement from the band’s ever-growing fan base.
A Hero’s Death begins with a gritty, gloomy guitar riff. From the opening bars, we know we are in for a treat. The dooming guitar and percussion loom steadily into I Don’t Belong, a track tinged with 1990’s punk. As the record progresses, the haunting song You Said contains intense lyrics like “You said/You been on the brink so slow down”, the Irish five-piece are not ones to shy away from the use of visceral lyricism. Instead, they revel in it.
This self-assured moxie within A Hero’s Death is one of the reasons that Fontaines D.C is taking the post-punk world by storm. When asked about the meaning behind the lyrics of I Don’t Belong, lead vocalist Grian Chatten meditated “I think I’m very susceptible to people-pleasing. I often end interactions feeling kind of dirty because I’ve forced myself into saying things I don’t believe, or into acting happy or energetic or whatever. That sickness kind of built up and this tune came out of that.”
A Hero’s Death certainly showcases the band’s broad sonic range. Within an eleven-track record, we are pulled between the emotive track No, to the aggressively charged A Televised Mind, to A Lucid Dream, the songs remaining profoundly different yet equally as enticing to the listener. Tracks Love Is The Main Thing and Oh Such A Spring convey a softer edge to the band, along with their aptitude as storytellers. When describing the powerful album title, guitarist Carlos O’Connell said “It has that Shakespearean drama about it”
With fans already eager to see Fontaines D.C perform their new album, the live iterations of A Hero’s Death won’t be until next year, unfortunately. Along with countless other artists who have responsibly adhered to health guidelines in recent months, Fontaines D.C pushed back their planned European and UK tour to 2021. A Hero’s Death tour will now commence March 2021.
