Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.)

Squeezing a solo album between the demands of the heavy Fontaines DC schedule was a considerable achievement in its own right for their frontman, but delivering a work as poetic and confident as this, is a gift.

 

Pulling away from the driving post-punk he’s known for in his day job and instead focusing on lilting acoustic guitars, strings, synths and drum machines, with backing vocals from his fiancée Georgie Jesson, his vocal versatility and songwriting prowess are thrown into the light here. Trustily fostered by long-standing wizard producer Dan Carey, it’s a tenderly muted, beautifully crafted album, swept with colours and textures that breathe life into his lucid tales.