Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten is going solo. The Irish musician has shared “The Score,” his debut single under his own name.
If you’re expecting more of the type of twisted post-punk that Fontaines D.C. showed on their 2022 album Skinty Fia, “The Score” will likely disappoint you. But the song is transfixing in its own right, as Grian Chatten sheds his more menacing vocals in favor of a subtler, but equally evocative murmur.
Over fingerpicked acoustic guitar, Chatten appears to explain to a love interset why they should leave their current partner: “You know the score/ It ain’t limited to your knowing looks and touches anymore,” he sings, as the folksy tune incorporates a tinny beat towards the latter half. “You see your heart’s been tethered/ To a sinking stone.”
“‘The Score’ is a heavyweight bated breath of lust,” Chatten says in a press release. “I wrote it in Madrid between an electric fan and a dying plant and I intend to keep it there. It was inspired by sugar and sunset.”
Watch Chatten in the moody music video for “The Score” below.
Last month, Fontaines D.C. contributed to a Nick Drake tribute album with a cover of his “Cello Song.” The band are also set to open for Arctic Monkeys’ run of North American shows later this year; grab tickets at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
