DC UNIVERSE

CARLOS O'CONNELL-half of the rapidly rising Irish rockers' twin-guitar attack - discusses the importance of space in a mix, the finer points of his Fender Rory Gallagher Strat and why the band's singer played what just might be the best guitar solo on their new album, Romance

- Mark McStea

FONTAINES D.C. HAVE come a long way since meeting at college in Ireland in 2014. A few short years after breaking out of the rehearsal room and into clubs around Ireland and the U.K., rapidly building on the huge buzz around the band, they managed to release three singles in 2018, kicking off with “Liberty Belle.” A deal with Partisan Records soon followed, and Dogrel, their debut album, was released in 2019, peaking at Number 9 in the U.K. That same year they set their sights on America, which involved playing nine sets at SXSW over five days and appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Their efforts Stateside saw them rewarded in 2021, when their second album, 2020’s A Hero’s Death, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album. That was followed by 2022’s Skinty Fia, home of the brooding but catchy “Jackie Down the Line,” with its pulsing, “Watching the Detectives”like riffs aplenty.

The band have just released Romance, which sees them take their sound a long way from the spiky, angular postpunk vibe of their debut record. Guitarists Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley weave atmospheric textures that underpin singer Grian Chatten’s emotive vocals to create a sound that is simultaneously familiar, yet distinctive enough to set them apart from the typical guitar-driven indie band sound.

O’Connell, a self-confessed guitar geek, is constantly hunting down elusive, obscure gear to unlock the tones he hears in his head. He’s also understandably excited about the new record.

There’s a clear evolution in the band’s sound from the first album through today. Is that a conscious progression?