Albums to watch

Chaos For The Fly

Grian Chatten

Chaos For The Fly

Debut solo album from Fontaines D.C. frontman produced by Dan Carey (Squid, Wet Leg, Geese)

ADM rating[?]

8.0

Label
Partisan
UK Release date
30/06/2023
US Release date
30/06/2023
  1. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    A real gem, this bold album brimming with character begins the etching of Chatten’s name among music’s greats
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  2. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Chatten has already admitted that these songs could have been shaped with his bandmates but he felt he didn’t want to compromise their authenticity. He had a clear vision for this body of work, the tracks were fully formed in his mind’s eye and so the solo album was born
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  3. 8.8 |   Northern Transmissions

    Grian Chatten’s Chaos For The Fly is the first in hopefully a long, long line of him and his bandmates continuing to create great music. There’s not many lead singers I would’ve rather heard a solo album from than him
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  4. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    Perhaps, the quiddity of Chatten’s songwriting is threefold—he bears the heart of a romantic, the lyrical gifts of a poet, but the wide-eyed cynicism of one cognizant of how the world can ensnare artists of this stripe. This struggle, in his capable hands renders the most exquisite music about our human condition
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  5. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Short but sweet, bleak but beautiful
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  6. 8.0 |   Dork

    It’s a different beast to anything Fontaines have released, and as a vehicle to showcase Grian’s lyricism and storytelling abilities, it goes above and beyond any reasonable expectations
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  7. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Chatten dials down the rollicking post-punk of the Dublin band with a solo debut of haunted, Leonard Cohen-esque songs
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  8. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Grian Chatten has proven that he's not only worth his salt for leading one of the biggest UK bands in the world right now, but that he has the erudition to create fantastic music without his Fontaine D.C. mates
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  9. 8.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Chaos for the Fly might be morose, but it’s also very touching, and full of delicate little moments which make the record more than just the sum of its parts
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  10. 8.0 |   NME

    The Fontaines D.C. frontman shares a subdued and vulnerable debut, writing confidently about what hurts with the support of rich arrangements
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  11. 8.0 |   XS Noize

    The raw power of his band may not have been displayed, but Chatten has created an intimate, honest, commanding debut, which leaves the impression that there can be so much more to come from him as a solo artist
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  12. 8.0 |   Record Collector

    Lyrically, Chatten’s world is still tumultuous, yet he’s learned to coat it around a romantic, less uptight sound
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  13. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Chatten is able to chase down a succession of personal demons, while broadening his emotional, musical and vocal range. Print edition only

  14. 8.0 |   Mojo

    The self-analysis is elevated by Chatten's scowling poetry and producer Dan Carey's bright detailing. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    The stark nature of the songs in this first solo outing highlight Chatten’s worldview of separating the good from the bad
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  16. 7.6 |   Pitchfork

    The subdued solo debut from the Fontaines D.C. singer feels alluringly timeless. It’s a combination of novelty and tradition, artifice and honesty
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  17. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    This isn’t a perfect album – far from it – but it is stylistically consistent, thematically coherent and beautifully composed
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  18. 7.0 |   Gigwise

    A good omen for things to come
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