Fontaines D.C. guitarist Carlos O’Connell and vocalist Grian Chatten have carved out a reputation as one of the most compelling partnerships in contemporary rock. In this interview, conducted during soundcheck at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show, they discuss the creative tensions that fuel their music and what comes after conquering the arenas.
On Outgrowing Post-Punk
“People still call us a post-punk band, and I understand why,” Chatten says, tuning his guitar absent-mindedly. “The first two records were very much in that tradition. But we have been moving away from that for a while now. The new material draws on shoegaze, krautrock, even some electronic music. I think we have earned the right to follow our instincts without being constrained by a genre tag.”
O’Connell agrees but adds nuance. “The post-punk DNA is still there in the energy and the urgency. We are not making ambient music. But the palette is wider now. I am using more effects, more textural playing. The goal is to create something that feels physical and immersive, not just loud.”
The Dynamics of Collaboration
“We argue constantly,” Chatten admits with a grin. “But it is productive arguing. Carlos will bring a guitar part that I think is too pretty, and I will push it in a darker direction. Or I will write lyrics that are too bleak, and he will find a melody that gives them light. The tension is where the good stuff happens.”
O’Connell describes their process as deliberately uncomfortable. “We try not to settle for the first idea. If something comes together too easily, we get suspicious. The best songs on every album are the ones that nearly did not survive the writing process, the ones we fought over and rebuilt three or four times.”
Playing Bigger Rooms
The band’s trajectory from Dublin pub shows to arena tours has been rapid, and both musicians acknowledge the challenges of scaling up. “There is a risk that the music loses its intimacy when you play rooms this size,” O’Connell says. “We have worked hard on the live production to make sure that does not happen. The sound design is crucial. We want someone in the back row to feel the same intensity as someone at the barrier.”
Chatten is more philosophical about the transition. “A big room does not change what the songs are about. The desperation, the longing, the anger — those emotions do not care whether there are 200 people or 20,000 people in the room. If the performance is honest, it translates.”
What Comes Next
“We are already writing the next record,” O’Connell reveals. “It is too early to say much about it, but I can tell you it does not sound like anything we have done before. We are pushing into territory that makes us nervous, which is usually a good sign.”
Chatten laughs. “Every time we make a record, Carlos says it does not sound like anything we have done before. He is always right, and it always terrifies me. That is how I know we are on the right track.”
