"The album is the sound of a band stretching into new shapes" - NME writes in a review of Fontaines D.C.'s 'Skinty Fia'. It's also Alexis Petridis' Album of the Week, because - "In a polarised era, there’s something cheering about Fontaines DC’s bold refusal to join in, to deal instead in shades of grey and equivocation. There’s also something bold about their disinclination to rely on the most immediate aspect of their sound". Pitchfork tries to go to the bottom of it: "The Irish post-punk band’s most demanding and musically adventurous album is also its most open-hearted,  striking a perfect balance between tough and tender".

An awesome bassline, some seriously great grooves and a killer melody on Dublin post-punk band's new song. 'Skinty Fia' is taken from the new album of the same name, out 22nd April on Partisan Records.

Dublin rockers' second album in a year "is subtler and softer and prettier... darker, more atmospheric and downcast", Stereogum writes in their review o Fontaines D.C.'s 'A Hero's Death'. Production-wise there's "more shades of gray on this one, effectively building and sustaining a cohesive mood while allowing for greater complexity and nuance".

"We daydreamed a lot; we were trying to escape what was around us and were listening to much more immersive music, music that had lefts and rights and corners and different streets" - Dublin noir-rock champions Fontaines D.C. tell NME's Mark Beaumont about their new album 'A Hero's Death' (out July 31). The primary influence on the new album - “It’s inspired by the stillness of the sea. Kinda like later Beach Boys".

'Shadow of Doubt' by Satin Nickel is strange and great - prog-rock meets Americana; 'The Eddy' takes St. Vincent in an unseen jazz direction - the song is from ‘La La Land’ director Daniel Chazelle's new Netflix drama; singer, songwriter, and producer Ted When takes on isolation in 'The Edge'; Fontaines D.C. won't change rock with 'A Hero's Death', but it is a potent rock song; Rhye is going for the beautiful with her new song; Muse frontman Matt Bellamy is alone on 'Tomorrow's World', inspired by isolation on the piano-heavy, haunting song; Zeshan B mixes global music and soul in 'Only in my Dreams', a song that came to him in a dream.

Here the full 70 list; the top 10 spots are taken by the following: 10. Purple Mountains – 'Purple Mountains' 9. Big Thief - 'U.F.O.F.' 8. Angel Olsen – 'All Mirrors' 7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – 'Ghosteen' 6. Jamila Woods – 'LEGACY! LEGACY!' 5. Dave - 'PSYCHODRAMA' 4. Fontaines D.C. - 'Dogrel'  […]

London rapper Dave has won the 2019 Mercury Prize with his debut album 'Psychodrama', a critically acclaimed concept album about mental health, relationships and social conditions. This year the Mercury shortlist was just great: 1975‘s 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships', slowthai‘s 'Nothing Great About Britain', black midi‘s 'Schlagenheim', Little Simz‘s 'GREY area', Foals‘ 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1', Nao‘s 'Saturn', IDLES‘ 'Joy as […]

"The rap, grime and future R&B (Nao, slowthai, Little Simz, Dave) represented the most incisive rising British talent, the guitar rock (Idles, Fontaines D.C., Black Midi) was suitably disjointed, angular and innovative, the poised and/or melodramatic art-pop (Anna Calvi, Cate le Bon) bore not the faintest trace of Paloma or Florence, the bigger names (The […]

"This is music that sounds like Dublin feels. Chatten’s heavily accented vocals play a part; there are references to specific areas, pubs and landmarks, plus a cast of characters who populate the songs. But there is something more than just portraits. The rough production and rickety rhythms conjure familiar Dublin moods: bustling markets, rain-streaked cobblestones […]