Record Rundown: Ranking Fontaines D.C’s Catalogue

In this edition of Record Rundown, we will be taking a look at the catalogue of Irish alternatives, Fontaines D.C. The Dublin-born five-piece have undergone a fascinating evolution since their 2019 debut, shifting from gritty urban realism to cinematic melancholy in a remarkably short space of time. Across four studio albums in just five years, the band have gradually traded the punk-fuelled social commentary imprinted on their early work for a more introspective pop-rock sound, carving one of the most fascinating arcs in modern guitar music. 

Fontaines D.C.’s latest release has propelled the group to new commercial heights. Since the summer of 2024, their popularity has surged. Catchier hooks and more polished production have pushed the band closer to the mainstream of modern alternative music. Combined with a more marketable visual identity, this era has brought widespread success, earning them major award nominations and numerous radio plays. 

However, it’s this stylistic shift that makes Romance the least interesting release in Fontaines D.C.’s catalogue to date. Much of the tracklist consists of listenable yet repetitive ballads. Songs such as “In the Modern World,” “Motorcycle Boy,” and “Horseness Is the Whatness” are by no means poor songs, but they often drift into long-winded, atmospheric drags that lack momentum. Meanwhile, “Bug” and “Here’s the Thing” lean towards a poppier, more hook-driven approach that lacks authenticity and feels somewhat uninspired compared to the artistic edge the group displayed on prior releases. 

Despite this, Romance does have its high points. The album’s lead single, “Starburster,” stands out with its thumping, loop-like drumbeat and Grian Chatten’s urgent, almost rap-like vocal delivery combining to create one of the band’s most electrifying tracks to date. “Death Kink” lands as the record’s penultimate track, featuring grungy guitars and a raw, off-kilter vocal delivery, resulting in another moment where Romance finds the band at their most exciting, reminding us of how good they can be. The album then closes with “Favourite,” which has quickly become one of the band’s most beloved songs. Its jangly rhythm and lead guitars evoke the shimmering melancholy of ’80s icons like The Smiths and The Cure, a sound that Fontaines D.C. pull off remarkably.  

It feels as though Fontaines D.C.’s newfound commercial success has come at the cost of a dip in quality. While Romance has its gems and is by no stretch of the imagination a bad album, it simply doesn’t reach the consistency or originality that defined the group’s earlier work, falling short of the energy and boldness that Grian Chatten and co. have become synonymous with. 

Overall Rating: 6.9 / 10 

The band’s sophomore effort, on the other hand, is a far more cohesive body of work that sees Fontaines D.C. fully embrace the darker, more introspective side of post-punk. On this record, the group begin to experiment with a more melodic approach to their songwriting while still retaining the rugged, unconventional energy that defined their debut. 

The record opens with “I Don’t Belong,” arguably the strongest intro track of any Fontaines D.C. album. Its catchy yet sombre lead guitar riff sets the tone for the murky, introspective canvas the rest of the record is painted on. The up-tempo “Televised Mind”, a live staple, injects energy into the tracklist while staying true to the records dark, post-punk atmosphere, and followed by “A Lucid Dream”, with its manic drum-fills and descending lead riff, the record continues to shine. The album’s title track, “A Hero’s Death,” which has become a cult favourite amongst Fontaines D.C. fans, ties the record together. Chatten’s chanting delivery carries a compelling sincerity that is becoming harder to come by in much of today’s music. 

However, the record doesn’t shy away from slowing down the pace at times, embracing a mellowness rarely seen up to this point in the bands catalogue. Tracks like “You Said” and “Oh Such a Spring” offer introspective lyricism and a softer soundscape, revealing a newfound sensitivity that distinguishes them from their contemporaries.  

Of the band’s four albums, “A Hero’s Death” is the one that most often flies under the radar in online discourse, and it is difficult to see why. A confident, well-crafted album from start to finish, it stands as one of Fontaines D.C.’s most overlooked works, capturing the band at a transitional yet rooted stage of their relatively short musical career. 

Overall Rating: 8.2 / 10 

A record that may go down as an all-time great debut effort, Fontaines D.C.’s inaugural album Dogrel is a high-energy, sharply paced burst of Irish punk, deeply rooted in culture and identity. It’s here that Grian Chatten shines at his brightest lyrically, offering thought-provoking social commentary with both wit and an authenticity that some of their most recent work regrettably lacks.  

The term dogrel refers to poetry that is loosely constructed, irregular, and free from traditional structure, a fitting nod to the band’s shared love of the art form, which first brought them together at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute in Dublin, which proved to be a defining moment in the band’s formation. 

The groups first big hit on streaming platforms, “Boys in the Better Land” is one of the quintessential Fontaines D.C tracks. Driven by a relentless rhythm section and Chatten’s rapid-fire delivery, it captures the band’s blend of punk urgency and poetic realism better than any other song on Dogrel. Many songs on the album reflect this same energy, the jagged experimentation of “Too Real”, the rawness of “Liberty Belle”, and the boldness of the opening track, “Big” add to the punk-like feel created throughout the album.  

The album closer, “Dublin City Sky,” is one of the most compelling moments in the band’s discography, with Fontaines D.C. fully embracing their roots through a folk-inspired sing-along that captures the unmistakable Irish spirit of influences such as The Pogues. 

A sense of rough-edged poetry, backdropped by punky, unpolished instrumentation, it’s hard to beat Dogrel when it comes to reviewing band’s debut efforts in the last decade.  

Overall Rating: 8.6 / 10 

Fontaines D.C.’s finest effort to date, Skinty Fia, the band’s third studio release, strikes the perfect balance between the raw energy of their early work and the more melodic, atmospheric direction they’ve progressively embraced. The album marked a clear turning point in the band’s march toward the mainstream, with tracks like “I Love You,” showcasing one of Grian Chatten’s most emotionally powerful performances, and the driving, infectious energy of “Jackie Down the Line” helping the band gain widespread popularity. 

It’s on this record that the guitar work feels at its most compelling. The dreamy lead lines on tracks like “Big Shot” and “Roman Holiday” are transportive, drawing the listener into an atmospheric yet grounded world. While the band continue to explore themes of Irish culture and identity through songs like “The Couple Across the Way” and the biting lyricism of “I Love You,” Skinty Fia trades the immediacy of their early work for something darker, more reflective, and richer in sound. 

The record’s title track stands as one of the band’s most haunting pieces to date. Its slow-building tension and industrial-tinged rhythm section create the perfect backdrop for Chatten’s restrained yet emotive vocal delivery, resulting in one of the most atmospheric yet relentlessly propulsive moments in their discography. “Roman Holiday,” undoubtedly one of Fontaines D.C.’s strongest tracks, pairs dreamy, distorted guitar riffs with an infectious rhythm, perfectly showcasing their ability to balance their newfound melodic melancholy with the raw attitude and cultural lyricism of their earlier work. Finally, the album closer “Nabokov” can only be described as a wall of sound, bringing the album to an explosive and chaotic finish, driven by weaving distortion and Chatten’s desperate lyrical content and delivery.  

Skinty Fia feels like a full-circle moment in the band’s evolution, bridging the grit and punk energy of their early work with the grander, more atmospheric vision of their future. Coming before the slight disappointment of their most recent release, it stands not only as Fontaines D.C.’s most cohesive body of work, but as a benchmark for what modern guitar music can still achieve.  

Overall Rating: 8.8 / 10