Fontaines D.C.

The very first words we hear on the first song on the first album from Fontaines D.C. are “Dublin in the rain is mine”—and with that line, from the underdog fight song “Big”, the group instantly seized the title of Ireland’s pre-eminent dark-skied post-punk poets. Their 2019 Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Dogrel, arrived in a crowded field of cantankerous indie bands from the British and Emerald Isles wielding jagged guitar riffs, bass-battered rhythms and shouty sing-speak. But behind the Mark E. Smith-like bark of frontman Grian Chatten beat the heart of a true romantic enamoured with his hometown’s local landmarks and working-class heritage, while singles like “Boys in the Better Land” and “Liberty Belle” counterbalance their withering social commentary with invigorating doses of, respectively, British Invasion-style garage rock and surf music. The follow-up, A Hero’s Death, arrived just a year later with Fontaines’ switchblade-edge intact, but also showcased a band moving beyond their signature rant ‘n’ roll to explore brooding balladry and more atmospheric production, en route to a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album.