Skinty Fia is the third studio album by Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. It was released on 22 April 2022 via Partisan Records. Like the band's two previous albums – 2019's Dogrel and 2020's A Hero's Death – Skinty Fia was produced by Dan Carey.[2] Its title refers to an old Irish saying that drummer Tom Coll's great-aunt used to say. The phrase "Skinty Fia" translates to "the damnation of the deer". Both the title and the cover art allude to the extinct Irish elk, also known as the "giant deer".[3][4]
Skinty Fia became the band's first number-one album in both Ireland and the UK.[5][6]
The band released their second album A Hero's Death in July 2020 and embarked on a tour, which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to support it. Plans for the third album began in the band's hometown of Dublin during the COVID-19 lockdowns, where they began sharing and recording demos.[9] Chatten was inspired by an accordion gifted to him by his mother for Christmas, realising "that that was an interesting place for me to go on the next record" despite his lack of experience with the instrument.[3] They were also inspired by the Primal Scream album XTRMNTR (2000) and the drum and bass artist Roni Size, wanting to "[recreate] electronic sounds with guitars", according to guitarist Carlos O'Connell.[10]
Recording for Skinty Fia took place in 2021 in London with regular producer Dan Carey. The songs were written during the day, which Chatten deemed a healthy and structured prccess, and recorded at night to create a level of uncertainty.[3]
Composition
The opening track "“In ár gCroíthe go deo” features a refrain sung in Irish which translates to "in our hearts forever".[11] The band had read of a recently deceased Irish woman living in England whose family had wished to engrave the phrase on her gravestone. However, the Church of England ruled that the use of the Gaelic phrase could be deemed "political" or "provocative". After much criticism from the Irish community, the decision was eventually overturned and, on that day, the band recorded vocals for the song.[11]
"Big Shot" is the only song on the album written by O'Connell.[3] Lyrically, it depicts "fame, stardom, and the guilt which surrounds them" and his battles with his own ego due to the band's success.[12][3]
Promotion
The album was announced on 12 January 2022, to coincide with the release of its lead single "Jackie Down the Line".[13] A second single, "I Love You", was released just over a month later on 17 February 2022,[14] a song which the band described as “the first overtly political song we’ve written”[15]
All music by Grian Chatten, Tom Coll, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan III and Carlos O'Connell. All lyrics by Grian Chatten, except "Big Shot", lyrics by Carlos O'Connell.
