The song opens with an echoing guitar riff and a lullaby charm. This production choice immediately enforces the overarching message and energy of the song – the naivety of being young. Eventually, the drums from Tom Coll kick in, providing the signature drum beat all over the band’s album Romance and is reminiscent of their single ‘Favourite’. The drums give the song an energy that would be ideal for playing it live.
Recently, Fontaines D.C. have been tapping into the theme of emotions. This theme is all over ‘It’s Amazing to Be Young’, portraying a frustration that a lot of young people hold towards the older people around them and their desperation to just learn as they go. Whilst this song is not lyrically dense with short verses and repetition, this message is executed perfectly.
Grian Chatten’s vocals are understated with the usual Irish inflections and breathy, prolonged vowels. I am a fan of the vocal style Chatten has adopted for the Romance era, which is different to the chatty, post-punk style of their debut album, Dogrel.
The real charm of ‘It’s Amazing to Be Young’ comes in the outro, where Chatten’s vocals crescendo and the song reaches its peak production-wise. I can see this song being enjoyed by a festival crowd in which the band’s younger fans are united by the relatable message of the song – how amazing it is to be young.
Ultimately, this song grew on me. On first listen, I found it underwhelming and too simple in lyrics and production. However, I grew to love the simplicity and understanding of the greater message. Sometimes, a song doesn’t have to be doing a million things at once to be incredible. Does a new single hint at a deluxe version of Romance? We will see.