As someone that’s hearing impaired, I’ve always been more drawn to music with a more sweeping effect. I’ve always been more in tune with the feelings conjured by the music than the words thereof. Fontaines D.C. is no exception, though it looks a bit different from the typical “massive swell poignant indie” sound that dominates so many of my playlists.

It would be easy to just call Fontaines D.C. a band that does post punk really well and leave it at that. However, especially in the context of their album A Hero’s Death, that would be a disservice. This is the sort of album that I went into expecting a gut punch right off the bat, but that’s not what happens. Much of the album is more tempered in its approach. I’ve listened to the album start to finish a couple of times, and as I write this I have the record on shuffle. “I Don’t Belong” segued into the penultimate track “Sunny,” two tracks that place emphasis on the resigned, apathetic tone in the vocals. To a new listener, this could be off putting, but there’s a level of authenticity present here too. In “Sunny” in particular, there’s something oddly haunting about the golden hour aura mixed with apathy tone of “Where I was I can’t tell…” being repeated over and over to end the track.

Even as I type this, I can’t help but appreciate how much the album reflects my mood. It’s pleasantly warm and bit overcast. Weather.com tells me some storms are rolling through in about an hour, but as of now there’s only a faint harbinger of what’s to come, and it isn’t even a for sure thing. Fontaines D.C. exist in precisely that grey. Avoiding proclamations of joy but taking moments to remind us things like “Love ain’t always empty,” as they do in the title track.

I always notice when bands use simple structure in their songs to striking effect. “Love Is the Main Thing,” for example, has a very distinct yet straightforward drum beat that sets and maintains an assertive mood. Throughout the album there is also a healthy use of reverb that is used neither sparingly nor indulgently.

Fontaines D.C. know how to read the room and use it to their advantage to showcase their sound. This will serve them well for years to come. I haven’t seen them live yet, but I can imagine the principle will still hold up well there.

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