First James Joyce now, some 100 years later, Fontaines D.C. – whatever else Dublin is, it’s an artistic inspiration to its residents, and on that band’s remarkable debut Dogrel the grit and romance of the Irish capital flood from the speakers like the River Liffey.
And, indeed, from the throat of hypnotic vocalist Grian Chatten, whose grimly poetic verses spill out in an undiluted Irish accent, as droll as they are frankly observant. He’s at it right away, laying into fruitless aspiration on the blistering opener ‘Big’, a sub-two minute post-punk neckbreaker which sets the tone for the spikier parts of the album – visceral, vital and very, very enjoyable.
This is revisited on the terrifying snarl of ‘Hurricane Laughter’, the mission-statement ‘Chequeless Reckless’ and the abrasive strut of one of a series of breakout singles ‘Too Real’, responsible for reeling in a legion of fans desperate for the band’s first full-length to drop (including the one reviewing this album).
But Fontaines D.C. are about a lot more than frothing post-punk frenzy, and the depth and breadth of songwriting on Dogrel is that of a band already hitting its stride despite its tender years. Their easy knack with a hook rears its head on ‘Sha Sha Sha’ before growing into a full-formed monster on the soaring ‘Liberty Belle’, an irresistible indie-punk paean to “that kind of ready steady violence” which provides a boisterous high point.
Elsewhere the band bare souls on the evocative ‘Roy’s Tune’, all the more powerful for its unexpected delicacy, and just about keep their raucous tendencies in check on the deliciously muted ‘Television Screen’ which is another vocal triumph for Chatten. But on an album filled with gold, the platinum moment comes in the shape of ‘Boys In The Better Land’, a post-punk joyride through some of Chatten’s finest lyrical moments – combined with the Pogues-esque ballad ‘Dublin City Sky’ it is the perfect way for a band inseparable from their hometown to round off a seriously impressive debut.
It’s not often we can make a link between a literary great and an explosive punk band so let us have our moment. James Joyce published his first novel over 100 years ago and is still being read and talked about across the globe – we can only guess where the band which namechecks him in their finest song will be in 2119.
Words - Joe Ponting
Dogrel is out now on Partisan Records