Fontaines D.C. have released ‘I Love You‘, the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album Skinty Fia which will be released on 22 April via Partisan Records. The band continue to follow their own path. Rather than return to the frantic energy of debut album Dogrel, here we have a track full of intensity and passion. Lead singer Grian Chatten describes ‘I Love You‘ as “the first overtly political song we’ve written.” It’s a love song to Ireland written from the view of an Irishman abroad. As with all relationships its complicated. The emotions are numerous and at the extremes. There is the anger felt at the current political climate in the country, with lyrics that are both thought-provoking and heavy with depth and meaning. They call out society’s failings and the political parties who should be accountable:
“And I’ll love you ’til the grass around my gravestone is deceased
And I’m heading for the cokeys, I will tell them ’bout it all
About the gall of Fine Gael and the fail of Fianna Fáil.”
And yet at the opposite extreme there is cultural pride. However the internal conflict with personal success:
“When the cherries lined up, I kept the spoilings for myself”
is so very difficult to celebrate against the dreadful atrocities in the country such as decades of tragic brutality at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home in Galway:
“This island’s run by sharks with children’s bones stuck in their jaws.”
The track opens with a couple of bars of quiet guitar before the vocals come in, calm and measured at the beginning. However there is a tension which you sense is building. At five minutes this is one of the longest tracks by Fontaines D.C. and by the end you are captivated with its passion. The emotion created in the soundscape in combination with the lyrics strikes at the very core.
The cinematic music video is powerful in its simplicity. Directed by Sam Taylor, Grian strolls through a candle-lit church, a symbol of such turmoil for Ireland. The red imagery of Skinty Fia continues with the light coming through the window behind Grian as he continues to sing with growing intensity. Towards the end he is seated and sings straight into the camera, and as the light turns red on him we move to the final scene, which is truly breathtaking.
Grian further elaborates on the track: “It’s standing in the centre of our beloved home country as a multitude of things are brought to tragic ends in an apocalyptic state of affairs. That’s how it feels to me, and what I felt when I wrote it.”
Fans will be delighted to hear the news that there will be further live dates in the UK this year.
For more information on Fontaines D.C. including tour dates and the new album please check out their website. Third album Skinty Fia will be released on 22 April via Partisan Records.
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