Chaos for the Fly is the debut studio album by Irish musician Grian Chatten, best known as the frontman for the post-punk band Fontaines D.C.[1] The album was recorded in two weeks with said band's regular producer Dan Carey and features orchestral arrangements.[2] The title is a reference to a quote by Morticia Addams.[3]
| Chaos for the Fly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 30 June 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 36:21 |
| Label | Partisan |
| Producer | |
Critical reception
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023) |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 83/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[7] |
Chaos for the Fly received "universal acclaim" from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic and was assigned a score of 83, based on ten reviews.[5] Uncut felt that "Chatten is able to chase down a succession of personal demons, while broadening his emotional, musical and vocal range", and Mojo remarked that "the self-analysis is elevated by Chatten's scowling poetry and producer Dan Carey's bright detailing".[5]
Ben Cardew of Pitchfork described the album as "a record of rumination, folk instrumentation, and the odd electronic flicker that feels alluringly timeless", with Cardew elaborating that "what really makes the record vibrate, however, is the combination of novelty and tradition, artifice and honesty".[7] Exclaim!'s Stephan Boissonneault stated that "these songs sound as though they could only live on this album, and it would conflict with their energy to have them co-exist in Fontaines D.C.'s repertoire". Boissonneault felt that Chatten's "poetic and stark lyrical imagery has more room to breathe on Chaos for the Fly; the album's instrumentation, while developing over the course of every track, is sparse and spacious".[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Grian Chatten
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Score" | 2:41 |
| 2. | "Last Time Every Time Forever" | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Fairlies" | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Bob's Casino" | 4:44 |
| 5. | "All of the People" | 4:23 |
| 6. | "East Coast Bed" | 4:59 |
| 7. | "Salt Throwers off a Truck" | 3:26 |
| 8. | "I Am So Far" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Season for Pain" | 3:34 |
| Total length: | 36:21 | |
Personnel
edit- Grian Chatten – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synths, harmonica
- Dan Carey – backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synths, drum programming
- Tom Coll – drums
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 65 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 87 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[11] | 113 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[12] | 9 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 3 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 10 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[15] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Williams, Sophie (30 June 2023). "Grian Chatten finds his voice on new solo album: "It's like reclaiming ownership over my music"". NME. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Smyth, David (20 June 2023). "Grian Chatten: Chaos for the Fly album review - short but sweet, bleak but beautiful". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (2 July 2023). "Grian Chatten: Chaos for the Fly review – the Fontaines DC frontman gets personal". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Chaos for the Fly by Grian Chatten reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chaos For The Fly by Grian Chatten". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b Boissonneault, Stephan (30 June 2023). "Grian Chatten Soars Solo on Chaos for the Fly". Exclaim!. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ a b Cardew, Ben (30 June 2023). "Grian Chatten: Chaos for the Fly Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Grian Chatten – Chaos for the Fly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Grian Chatten – Chaos for the Fly" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Grian Chatten – Chaos for the Fly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Top Albums (Week 27, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 7 July 2023". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2023.