Pics & Vids
05 May 20

WATCH: Fontaines D.C. debut their new single, 'A Hero's Death'

"It’s about the battle between happiness and depression," Grian Chatten says of the Brendan Behan-inspired tune

The day's massive Irish rock 'n' roll news is that Fontaines D.C. have just debuted their turbocharged new single, 'A Hero's Death', on BBC Radio One's Future Sounds With Annie Mac.
It's the title-track from their new album, which follows through Partisan Records on July 31. The accompanying video features Aidan Gillen, a massive fan of the band's, as a wonderfully narcissistic chat show host.
"The song is a list of rules for the self, they’re principles for self-prescribed happiness that can often hang by a thread," singer Grian Chatten reflects. "It’s ostensibly a positive message, but with repetition comes different meanings, that's what happens to mantras when you test them over and over.There’s this balance between sincerity and insincerity as the song goes on and you see that in the music video as well. That’s why there’s a lot of shifting from major key to minor key. The idea was influenced by a lot of the advertising I was seeing – the repetitive nature of these uplifting messages that take on a surreal and scary feel the more you see them.
"The title came from a line in a play by Brendan Behan, and I wrote the lyrics during a time where I felt consumed by the need to write something else to alleviate the fear that I would never be able follow up Dogrel. But more broadly it’s about the battle between happiness and depression, and the trust issues that can form tied to both of those feelings."
We're further told that: "To record A Hero’s Death, Fontaines D.C. rejoined producer Dan Carey (Black Midi, Bat For Lashes) in his London studio. Together they carved out a more restrained, spectral balladry that runs through a good portion of A Hero's Death, citing influences from Suicide, The Beach Boys, and Leonard Cohen to others including Beach House, Broadcast, and Lee Hazlewood. With album art featuring a statue of the mythological Irish warrior Cúchulainn that stands in Dublin as a commemoration of the Easter Rising, there are layers to the phrase 'A hero's death.' The album serves as a conscious effort to subvert expectations, to challenge themselves and their listeners, and to sacrifice one identity in order to take on another - one that is fully their own."
And there's more...
"Arriving battered and bruised - albeit beautiful - the album is anything but a re-hash of the swaggering energy from their first record. Instead, the music is patient, confident, and complex – a heady and philosophical take on the modern world and its great uncertainty."
Lyrically, Grian's on fire with couplets like: "Bring your own two cents/ Never borrow them from someone else/ Buy yourself a flower every hundredth hour/ Throw your hair down from your lonely tower/ And if, and if you find yourself in the family way/ Give the kid more than what you got in your day."
Stay tuned to hotpress.com for Pat Carty's in-depth take on the song, which has us counting down the minutes until July 31!

Here are the lyrics in full: Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Don’t get stuck in the past Say your favourite things at mass Tell your mother that you love her And go out of your way for others Sit beneath a light that suits ya And look forward to a brighter future Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Sink as far down as you can be pulled up Happiness really ain’t all about luck Let your demeanour be your deep down self And don’t sacrifice your life for your health When you speak, speak sincere And believe me friend, everyone will hear Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empt Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Bring your own two cents Never borrow them from someone else Buy yourself a flower every hundredth hour Throw your hair down from your lonely tower And if, and if You find yourself in the family way Give the kid more than what you got in your day Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Never let a clock tell you what you got time for It only goes around, goes around, goes around Take your family name for your own great sins Cuz each day is where it all begins And Don’t give up too quick You only get one line - you better make it stick If we give ourselves to every breath Then we’re all in the running for a hero’s death Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty Life ain’t always empty That was the year of the sneer now the real thing's here Meanwhile, the band have contributed a cracking version of 'Big' to the Live At The Windmill album, which benefits both the titular Brixton venue and the local soup kitchen. With black midi, Kate Tempest and Shame also on board, it's well worth a fiver! <iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4082021094/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="http://windmillbrixton.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-windmill">Live at The Windmill by Various Artists</a>