Modern Age Music Song of the Day: Fontaines D.C. – ‘A Hero’s Death’

Fontaines D.C. have announced their second album, ‘A Hero’s Death’, out on July 31st via Partisan Records.

In anticipation of the second record and following on from hugely successful debut ‘Dogrel’, the band have shared the lead single and title track.

Lead singer Grian Chatten explained: “The song is a list of rules for the self, they’re principles for self – prescribed happiness that can often hang by a thread. It’s ostensibly a positive message, but with repetition comes different meaning s, that’s what happens to mantras when you test them over and over.

“There’s this balance between sincerity and insincerity as the song goes on and you see that in the music video as well. That’s why there’s a lot of shifting from major key to minor key. The idea was influenced by a lot of the advertising I was seeing – the repetitive nature of these uplifting messages that take on a surreal and scary feel the more you see them.

“The title came from a line in a play by Brendan Behan, and I wrote the lyrics during a time where I felt consumed by the need to write something else to alleviate the fear that I would never be able follow up Dogrel. But more broadly it’s about the battle between happiness and depression, and the trust issues that can form tied to both of those feelings.”

Featured image by Richard Dumas