NEWS: FONTAINES D.C. New Single “It’s Amazing To Be Young” Out Now (Via XL Recordings)

2024 was a defining year for Dublin quintet Fontaines D.C., whose fourth album ROMANCE (Via XL Recordings) was lauded as one of the year’s very best, cementing their status as one of the most exciting bands in contemporary music. Topping multiple “album of the year” lists around the world, ROMANCE was quickly certified gold in the UK and saw the band nominated for two GRAMMYs and a BRIT Award among a host of accolades; a celebration of Fontaines D.C.’s ambitious world-building and bold musical evolution.

Today, Fontaines D.C. – Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums) – launch into 2025 with brand new single, “It’s Amazing To Be Young.” Produced by ROMANCE album producer James Ford, it’s Fontaines D.C. at their most anthemic and is set to soundtrack a huge year of live shows for the band.

The 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.” “It’s Amazing To Be Young” completes the cinematic trilogy, bringing together “In The Modern World”’s Martin (Ewan Mitchell) and “Here’s The Thing’s” Spider (Grace Collender) in an unlikely but beautifully surreal love story.

Speaking about the song, Conor Deegan III 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.”

While on the video, director Luna Carmoon adds: “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. I love that these two people have fallen in love with themselves, and I wanted to see them fall in love with each other. I planted the seed after I did the carjitsu video (“In The Modern World”) and then I had a couple of days to write the video for “It’s Amazing To Be Young”. There are a lot of odes to Santa Sangre it. It also reminds me of my first short film Shagbands”

SHARE / LISTEN TO “IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG”

“It’s Amazing To Be Young” will also be available on limited edition 7” vinyl featuring new b-side “Before You I Just Forget”,

Available to pre-order

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 July 5th. These shows will crown sold-out dates around the world, including Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and North America alongside a run of high-profile festival appearances.

Full dates below and full ticket info online

FONTAINES D.C. LIVE 2025

Feb 21 – Osaka, Japan – Gorilla Hall Osaka

Feb 23 – Tokyo, Japan – Toyosu PIT

Feb 27 – Red Hill, Australia – Perth Fest

Mar 1 – Brisbane, Australia – Riverstage Brisbane

Mar 2 – Wollongong, Australia – Yours & Owls Festival

Mar 6 – Sydney, Australia – Opera House Forecourt (SOLD OUT)

Mar 8 – Melbourne, Australia – Palace Foreshore (SOLD OUT)

Mar 9 – Meredith, Australia – Golden Plains Festival

Mar 10 – Melbourne, Australia – Palace Foreshore

Mar 12 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena

Mar 18 – Ciudad De México, Mexico – Pabellón Oeste

Mar 21 – Santiago, Chile – Lollapalooza Chile

Mar 23 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Lollapalooza Argentina

Mar 24 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Niceto Club (SOLD OUT)

March 26 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Audio Club

Mar 28 – São Paulo, Brazil – Lollapalooza Brazil

Mar 30 – Bogotá, Colombia – Festival Estéreo Picnic

 

April 17 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo (SOLD OUT)

April 18 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

April 19 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater (SOLD OUT)

April 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union

April 22 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom

April 24 – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum

April 25 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs) (SOLD OUT)

April 26 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater (SOLD OUT)

April 28 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre (SOLD OUT)

April 29 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern (SOLD OUT)

April 30 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works (SOLD OUT)

 

May 2 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

May 3 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz (SOLD OUT)

May 4 – Columbus, OH – Kemba Live!

May 6 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue

May 7 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore

May 8 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroon

May 10 – Washington, DC – The Anthem

May 11 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa (SOLD OUT)

May 13 – Albany, NY – Empire Live (SOLD OUT)

May 14 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall (SOLD OUT)

May 16 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

May 17 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

May 18 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom

 

June 7 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound

June 10 – Arles, France – Theatre Antique (SOLD OUT)

June 12 – Porto, Portugal – Primavera Sound

June 14 – Hradec Králové, Czechia – Rock For People

June 17 – Bologna, Italy – Sequoie Music Park (SOLD OUT)

June 18 – Rome, Italy – Rock in Roma

June 19 – Milan, Italy – Unaltrofestival

June 21 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra

June 23 – Zagreb, Croatia – INmusic Festival

June 25 – Belgrade, Serbia – Luka Beograd

June 27 – Athens, Greece – Release Festival

June 29 – Istanbul, Turkey – KüçükÇiftlik Park

 

July 2 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival

July 3 – Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter

July 5 – London, UK – Finsbury Park (SOLD OUT)

July 6 – Herouville Saint-Clair, France – Beauregard Festival

July 8 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Neumënster Abbey (SOLD OUT)

July 9 – Aix-les-Bains, France – Festival Musilac

July 11 – Trencin, Slovakia – Pohoda Festival

July 12 – Glasgow, UK – TRNSMT Festival

July 13 – Newcastle, UK – Exhibition Park (SOLD OUT)

July 30 – Cardiff, UK – Cardiff Castle (SOLD OUT)

 

August 1 – Waterford, Ireland – All Together Now Festival

August 3 – Katowice, Poland – OFF Festival

August 4 – Leipzig, Germany – Parkbühne im Clara Zetkin Park

August 5 – Berlin, Germany – Zitadelle Spandau

August 7 – Gothenburg, Sweden, Way Out West

August 8 – Oslo, Norway, Oya

August 8-10 – Helsinki, Finland – Flow Festival

August 15 – Manchester, UK – Wythenshawe Park (SOLD OUT)

August 15-17 – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands – Lowlands Festival

August 19 – Bonn, Germany – Kunst!Rasen

August 20 – Stuttgart, Germany – BÜRGER Freilichtbühne Killesberg

August 21 – Graz, Austria – Freiluftarena B

August 23 – Chateau Gontier, France – V and B Fest

August 24 – Paris, France – Rock en Seine 

PRAISE FOR ROMANCE: 

“More abstract and widescreen than its predecessors, it is the statement record of a band who started out in Dublin but are leaving the past behind, to conquer the world” – Sunday Times, #1 album of the year

“If 2024 asked “what’s next?”, Fontaines replied, “what you got?”- The Independent, #1 album of the year

 “Romance arrived at a time of change for Fontaines D.C. A new label, a striking and divisive new look, and their first with the weight of ‘band of a generation’ tags on their shoulders. The effortlessness and power with which they lived up to – and surpassed – this expectation remains astounding” – Rolling Stone UK, #1 album of the year

“Romance’ was a total reinvigoration for dynamic guitar music, delivering a more widescreen sound and a vision of a band with near-limitless horizons” – Time Out, #1 album of the year

“It invites a bigger audience into Fontaines DC’s world, but it never begs them to accept. You suspect they’ll take up the offer regardless.” – The Guardian ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“The defining band of their generation” – NME ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Cementing their place as generational greats” – Rolling Stone UK ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“The future is here and it’s alive with possibility. One reason Romance feels so exciting is its affirmation of a renewed creative spirit” – MOJO ★ ★ ★ ★

“On fourth album Romance, the band retain their distinctive sound — impulsive riffs, poetic observations — but they have switched things up; their spiky poise feels more assured, their scope vaster than ever” – Financial Times ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“It’s a stunning record, one of depth but also immediacy; it exists to be adored.” – Clash ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Their most outward-looking, most complete, most rewarding album to date.” – The Observer ★ ★ ★ ★

“The brilliance of Romance lies in its unsettling blend of antic energy with refined craft—in the depths of detachment, Fontaines D.C. strike an engaging pose.” – Pitchfork

“Fontaines D.C. have evolved, rather than diluted, their sound, and the success of Romance shows that it’s still possible to sell out arenas without selling out” – Dazed, albums of the year

An album of impeccably considered concepts championed by songwriting that refuses to let the Dublin outfit down”  – The Skinny ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“A game-changing masterpiece” – Dork ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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