In between tours, Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten took time to write music that would become his debut solo album. Opening song “The Score” is the first song written for this album and like several other songs, the vocals sound similar to Leonard Cohen. “Fairlies” is driven by an acoustic guitar, handclaps in the chorus snap along as he sings “I can live alone/happy, where I like to be”. “Salt Throwers off a Truck”, inspired by what he saw in New York City, the song sounds like an old Irish folk tale.
Eventually working with producer Dan Carey and Fontaines drummer Tom Coll, songs like “I Am So Far” were written in the drudgery of lockdown where Chatten was “seeking only answer/hearing only lies”. By contrast, “Bob’s Casino” is a breezy 60s easy listening track with complete horns. Here, Chatten’s voice seems to drop even lower than his usual register to sound a bit like Johnny Cash, female vocals add to the 60s allusion. Chaos for the Fly is a varied album, one that takes the foot off the Fontaines D.C. gas and let Chatten spread his wings a bit further. Even if it sounds like it was written in a tiny Madrid bedsit.
7.5/10
The Light Appears 