Daily Dose: Fontaines, “Hurricane Laughter”
Photo by Grace Leonard Photography Music Features Fontaines
Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.
Not to be confused with a Los Angeles band of a similar name (beware of that pesky article), Fontaines is an up-and-coming five-piece rock band from Dublin. When I saw them at Hard Working Class Heroes, an annual weekend-long conference and festivals showcasing Irish music in Dublin, the group’s youthful exuberance, snark, and retro Dublin wares reminded me of a post-punk version of The Commitments.
Last week, Fontaines released a double A-side single featuring “Hurricane Laughter” and “Winter in the Sun,” which is now available via Rough Trade and digitally. In particular, “Hurricane Laughter” stood out during their set at The Workman’s Club on Friday night of the festival. The song features an anxiety-inducing, minor key guitar riff that escalates in tempo and tone for the duration of its five-minutes. Frontman Grian Chatten speak-sings the refrain “And there is no connection available,” repeatedly, toying with the annunciation and articulation like an inverse version of The Replacements’ “Answering Machine.”
Watch the video for “Hurricane Laughter” below and anyone in London can check out the band live at The Shacklewell Arms on Wednesday, Oct. 18.