Since Dogrel debuted in 2019, Fontaines D.C have emerged onto the post-punk scene with a poetic grit that is distinctive to them alone. Through their follow up albums, A Hero’s Death and Skinty Fia, frontman Grian Chatten continued to deliver a rhapsodic kind of lyricism that digs into identity and isolation; giving a slight folk-twanged spirit while his half-shouted vocals sing over taut guitars. They fuse political frustration and poetic reflection, divulging into a sound that reminisces a place trying to remember itself. Discourse surrounding the ever-growing Irish alternative music scene rocketed at their release of Romance in 2024; an album which encapsulates their defiant and raw energy while its sound and lyricism pushed their music into an authentic and real feel of individual life, where all listeners can participate in a shared catharsis through this album. They have made noise with purpose, through a poetic melancholy and a love letter addressed to Ireland.
Grian Chatten continued to deliver a rhapsodic kind of lyricism that digs into identity and isolation
Where Fontaines D.C gives you literary lyrics and political edge, Wunderhorse offers a more emotional and melodic sound, that is perhaps, more focused on pain and angst on a personal level. After the disbanding of his former band the Dead Pretties, Jacob Slater’s focus shifted onto a sound of melodic reflection whereby he started to create music as Wunderhorse with its 2022 debut Cub. With Wunderhorse being previously a solo project, Jacob Slater’s bandmates being hired hands, they then developed into a group. Cub set the scene for what was set to follow, where the foundations Slater built from the first album led to the band’s 2024 album Midas, an album which proves ‘90s grunge influences still have appeal; and through the tracks we see a revival of it. Where Fontaines D.C looks outwards, Wunderhorse has much more of a focus on the inward, where an established emotional weight and crafted lyrics form a layered chaos into each song on the record.
Midas, an album which proves ‘90s grunge influences still have appeal
Fontaines D.C gives you the voice of a collective angst, and Wunderhorse embody the personal fallout that follows. Who wins? That ultimately depends on your mood. While Fontaines are an expression of discontent, Wunderhorse represent a painfully self-honest reflection. Yet, both belong to a new generation of guitar bands that each prove music can still feel important, exciting and raw.