Six Shot Morning

Fontaines D.C. released their much-anticipated LP, Dopamine Chamber, last week. I haven’t given an ear to any of their full projects before this one, but I have grown close to a few of their hits from previous albums. Directly following their international breakthrough project, Romance, an album like this carries a lot of weight with it and, for me, will be a measure of their staying power.

With that in mind, “Six Shot Morning” is one of the more powerful statements of tenacity I’ve heard. It immediately injects us with the cynical critique of instant gratification that the album suggests, conjuring the idea of a “dopamine chamber.” Not only does the album depart from the “romance” of their previous successes lyrically, new synths also replace their heavy-guitar signature as Fontaines D.C. push toward a synth-pop crescendo; you can feel that gentle sonic tug-of-war throughout this song.

In today’s songwriting, there’s a drifting away from the fundamentals of building and releasing tension, where instant gratification requires the hook to be within the first 30 seconds of the song. Post-punk has to hold it down, keeping the less culturally and politically grounded genres anchored to the foundations musicians have built. Thank you, Fontaines D.C.

Give this one a listen, then listen to “Marianne” because I actually like it slightly more than the opening track. If you feel strongly about this song, you can now add your own rating in the comments below. Make it a great week, everyone!