More about: Grian Chatten

Chaos For The Fly isn’t unrecognisable from what we’ve heard from Grian Chatten so far on Fontaines D.C.’s first three albums, but it’s obvious that if it had been filtered through the band we would be listening to a very different album right now.

It’s by no means an end for the band – Chaos For The Fly was originally considered as a Fontaines D.C. project, but ultimately Chatten decided to take the reins: “I want to do this myself,” he said when the album was announced. “I know where the band are going next and that’s not where I want to go with this. I’ve got a couple of exaggerated aspects of my soul that I wanted to express”.

Dan Carey is still on production, and Chatten’s flair for storytelling are still very present on this project, but with complete control over proceedings, he’s created expansive sonic arrangements that step away from the cutting post-punk of his group work.

‘The Score’ is an incredibly soft, acoustic start to the album that boasts gorgeous vocal harmonies. It doesn’t completely abandon the rock-oriented instrumentation of the band, but it has more a of a pop-infused drumbeat that jars you at first, but that fits effortlessly in the context of the album as a whole. This opening is the warmup for massive tracks like ‘Fairlies’, which is where unapologetically Irish traditional sounds meets an Oasis-level indie belter.

Like in his previous outings, Ireland is at the very heart of Chaos For The Fly. Inspired by small town life outside of Dublin, Chatten sings of these everyday sights, sounds and stories with stunning intricacy. But, like A Hero’s Death which came before it, ‘Fairlies’ hints at the inner conflicts of leaving Ireland, too (“I'm moving to America, you won't see me for a while" / If I get the ferry over, will the fairies follow me? Will they throw me to the sea?”). 

It's obvious that the arrangement of each track has been very carefully thought through. ‘Bob’s Casino’ has the most instrumental flair with its brass section and polish, while the simplicity of ‘Salt Throwers Off A Truck’ gives it a folksy authenticity that feels like you’re hearing it live.

"Chaos For The Fly is a good omen for things to come"

Chaos For The Fly’s finest moment arrives in ‘All Of The People’, a piano ballad that explores the ills of the music industry. It is perhaps also the album’s darkest moment, with a potent sense of isolation that borders on bitterness in lines like “You think that you love me but you don’t / You think that you know me, yeah, well, you just don’t” which cut through pared-back instruments.

Chaos For The Fly shows us a new side of Grian Chatten. His solo debut may not have the same in-your-face impact as his work in Fontaines D.C., but it’s a new creative outlet that gives him the freedom to explore new facets of his musicality. On his own, he certainly has as much potential as he does in a group, and Chaos For The Fly is a good omen for things to come from Grian Chatten as a solo artist.

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More about: Grian Chatten