Messed!Up
All five members of the band met while attending Dublin City Music College. Grian Chatten (vocals), Conor Deegan III (bass), Conor Curley (guitar), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), and Tom Coll (drums) attended the same class and gravitated toward each other in the first few months. They had all previously been in other bands, but their chemistry together as musicians persuaded them to leave their former groups and form the Fontaines. They named themselves after a character from The Godfather, but were soon legally challenged by a band from L.A. with the same name; as a result, they added D.C., which stands for Dublin City. They organized their first tour in 2017 after the release of their debut single, “Hurricane Laughter.” Doors soon began opening for them, and their live reputation grew. The following year saw three more singles, “Boys in the Better Land,” “Chequeless Reckless,” and “Too Real,” all of which were featured on the group’s Dan Carey-produced debut album, 2019’s Dogrel.
Working quickly, Fontaines began writing a follow-up just six months after the release of their debut, decamping to Los Angeles to record A Hero’s Death. Produced once again by Carey and released in July 2020, it made the Top Ten on a number of prominent charts and netted the band a Grammy Award nomination in the U.S. It also marked an evolution in the band’s sound by featuring more prominent vocal harmonies and psychedelic elements.
A 2021 live LP, Fontaines D.C. Live at Kilmainham Gaol, bridged the gap as Fontaines and Carey prepared their third album. Taking its name from an old Irish saying, 2022’s Skinty Fia became their first effort to top the charts at home and in the U.K. The following year, Chatten released his debut solo album before rejoining the group in the studio. Around the same time, Fontaines D.C. joined forces with Massive Attack and Young Fathers for the 2024 charity song, “Ceasefire,” in support of Médecins Sans Frontières’ work in Gaza and the West Bank. The track “Starburster” arrived in April 2024 as the lead single off the group’s fourth album, Romance, an album being released today.
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Fontaines D.C. pages
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