Fontaines D.C’s previous two albums have both been tethered to their Irish identity, unable to look beyond what the eye can see, or the heart can feel. In ten songs, ‘Skinty Fia’ tackles a range of increasingly dour topics: consumption, greed, corruption, despondency, isolation, heartbreak. It’s heavy, but never heavy-going; cinematic is an easily lauded term, but these are definitely tales of literary prowess, showcasing their growing ability to shape an atmospheric sound.

Like: Parquet Courts, the Horrors, Protomartyr, Idles, Iceage

FCC on 5 and 9

Play: 1, 4, 6, 8

1.In ár gCroíthe go deo 05:59 - Joy Division-esque intro set rhythmic pulse that serves as the unsettled guitar & bass haunted harmonies,
2.Big Shot 04:13 - Punishing bass-led murk Iceage-like track.
3.How Cold Love Is 03:24 - Guitar riffs twisting around and stopping short for to make way for intermittent moments of reverent silence.
4.Jackie Down The Line 04:01 - Smiths-y track, album’s poppiest moment.
5.Bloomsday 04:30 - Bleaker and gloomier with stark, harrowing, darkgaze tones.
6.Roman Holiday 04:28 - Picks up the pace with a syncopated percussion throughout.
7.The Couple Across The Way 03:56 - Old Irish folk song in disguise, is built around rudimentary accordion playing.
8.Skinty Fia 03:55 - A trapdoor into a murky trip hop party, its percussive sections prickling like goosebumps as they fold in and over each other.
9.I Love You 05:05 - Starts as a sweet ballad before flipping a switch to expose the many problems of Ireland today.
10.Nabokov 05:21 - Default rhythmic setting is slow; its guitars feel echoey and cavernous – even shoegaze-y.