Irish band Fontaines D.C. have paid tribute to the arrival of their guitarist's first child on their new limited edition 7" single, It’s Amazing To Be Young.
The new song comes after a defining year for the acclaimed five-piece, who play the All Together Now Festival in Waterford on 1 August.
Romance, the fourth album from Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums), was certified platinum in Ireland and gold in the UK and saw the band nominated for two GRAMMYs, a Brit ward and the Choice Music Prize.
Speaking about the song, Conor Deegan says: "It’s Amazing To Be Young is a song that was written in the presence of a newborn child - Carlos’ child. It sounded more like a lullaby or a music box then, but with the same lyric - `it’s amazing to be young’.
"The feeling of hope a child can give is profound and moving, especially for young men like us. That sense of wanting to create a world for them to grow up in happily.
"It’s a feeling that fights against the cynicism that can often overtake us in the modern world. So, we wanted to declare which side we were on - it really is amazing to be young. We are still free and want to make that feeling spread. We want to protect it for the others around us, and maybe in doing that, can also help protect it for ourselves."
The new single is accompanied by a video from acclaimed BAFTA-winning filmmaker Luna Carmoon (Hoard, Shagbands), who previously directed the videos for Fontaines D.C.’s Here’s The Thing and In The Modern World.
Speaking about the video and song, Carmoon says: "I love this new track - it’s one of my favourites Fontaines have done and I love that I got to complete the trilogy of videos for it. It was all natural and kind of a surprise that the three videos came together.
"I’ve got to work with such a beautiful team and was really given the space and breath to create the worlds that automatically came to me when hearing the music. I feel like we’re living in this weird time where romantic love is being pushed to the side, and sex and love is unvirtuous and no longer what people want to see. I don’t believe that at all."
It’s Amazing To Be Young is available on limited edition 7" vinyl, featuring new B-side, Before You I Just Forget.
The single release precedes a huge year of live activity for Fontaines D.C., who will perform to 100,000 people across four sold out UK outdoor headline shows in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff this summer, including a 45,000-capacity event at London’s Finsbury Park on 5 July.
The band play Osaka, Japan tonight followed by dates in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and the US before they return to Europe for further dates in June.
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