“Fear gave way to pride” for Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten. In Sold for Parts, we see the band’s exclusive studio recordings, intimate interviews, and occasional moments of candid sincerity.
Released on Friday, the 25-minute documentary chronicles the story of the Dublin post-punk band’s rise over an 18-month period in 2019.
Sold for Parts illuminates the rawness of Fontaines D.C. and their cannonball ride to fame with the writing, recording, and release of Dogrel.
Dogrel is bitter, angry, and anarchic take on psychological survival in a big city. The shout-spoken lyrics touch on ambition, greed, as well as a concurrent romanticism, exploring the murky depths of existential dread. The album has achieved near-global reach, NME calling it a “snarling new vision of youthful disillusionment.”
Sold for Parts opens with the raw stripped vocals of Grian Chatten in the studio, which is then starkly juxtaposed with the blazing, furious energy of the group onstage, illuminated by neon lights and the sweaty pulsing of the crowd.
Producers Collective Films tell a story of hard work, vulnerability, dedication to the craft, that’s at times, too real for the band. The Irish five-piece are just a group of guys dedicated to their craft, and to each other.
“I think we’re in it for the long haul,” says bassist Connor Deegan III. “In whatever form it takes. Even if we were to end the band, I think we’re very much intertwined.”
The band have just finished working on a Beach Boys-inspired second album but are keeping things pretty quiet for now. “We’ve got a good idea – it’s all recorded and everything,” Chatten told NME. “We’d just like to keep its sound, its meaning and its themes under wraps. We don’t want to give too much away.”
The documentary is handsomely crafted portrait of Fontaines D.C., a band that’s just as good both on record and live. Watch it below.
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