Brooding and biting, Televised Mind is the latest single from post-punk Irish band Fontaines D.C. Premiering on Tuesday 30th June, the track made its debut this evening on BBC Radio 6 by DJ Steve Lamacq before charging onto major streaming platforms.
In preparation for their keenly awaited second album A Hero’s Death, Televised Mind marks Fontaines D.C’s third release from their upcoming project. Formed in 2017, Fontaines D.C stormed onto the punk rock scene before releasing Dogrel. Their debut album was met with admiration from critics and fans alike and was awarded Album of The Year 2019 by both Rough Trade and BBC Radio 6.
Televised Mind also follows the previously released I Don’t Belong and title track A Hero’s Death. Reminiscent of early Nirvana, I Don’t Belong is bathed in melancholia, whilst the title track is punkier and aggressively charged.
Televised Mind certainly matches the power behind I Don’t Belong and A Hero’s Death strength for strength. With a title that alludes to George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, frontman Grian Chatten sings the haunting: “Dublin line for the televised mind/We’re all televised minds”, cautionary lyrics, and more relevant than we may want to admit.
A narrative voice striving for authenticity in an increasingly inauthentic world, the song is about maintaining individuality in a society fuelled by trends. Fontaines D.C stated that: “We’re never really given the education of our own fallibility. People feign these great beliefs in order to appear trendy, as opposed to independently arriving at their own thoughts”.
Alluding to past punk rock anthems, the track opens with an isolated electric guitar riff, immediately compelling the listener. Quickly following are booming, steadfast drums and more droning, hypnotic guitars. Pounding with raw instrumentation and robust vocals, the track screams Fontaines D.C, their distinct punk sound the reasoning behind their fast success.
Fontaines D.C simultaneously dropped the music video, which was directed by Hugh Malhern, on YouTube to 21,000 subscribers. Simple yet effective, the music video displays individual close-ups of each band member drenched in neon blue playing their instruments, with a jet black background. Garnering over 7,000 views in a few short hours, the music video was met with an ecstatic reception from fans.
The five-piece band also took to their official Instagram page to post news of their latest release. The short clip was shared with over 76,000 followers and featured the Televised Mind music video.
Already it has obtained an exuberant reception from fans, with 8,000 likes and views in just four hours. The band captioned the post with the following statement: “Our new single ‘Televised Mind’ is out now. Pre-order our album ‘A Hero’s Death’ to get it straight away. Link in bio”
Formed in 2017, the Irish band is made up of members Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Connor Deegan, Grian Chatten, and Tom Coll. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the punk quintet has postponed the release of A Hero’s Day until later on this year.
Televised Mind is out now.
